If anything, this semester I've learned the importance of Vitamin D. You may know that we get a lot of vitamin D from sunlight. When we go outside, a form of vitamin D is absorbed through receptors in our skin where it is picked up by cholesterol (one of the many very important roles cholesterol plays in our bodies, surprise, cholesterol is not all bad!!!) and brought to the liver. There is is transformed into intermediate form for storage or for use through out the body. The stored form of Vitamin D is known as 25-OH Vitamin D and we can get this level tested through a simple blood test. Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 are both precursors to the active form of Vitamin D in our bodies. Vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol is found in fortified foods like milk and butter. Vitamin D3 is also called cholecalciferol and this is the kind we get from the sun but is also the more common supplement form.
Vitamin D is a powerful antioxidant and may be our best bet for protecting ourselves against cancer! It's interesting to me that this all important nutrient is best obtained from spending time outdoors in direct sunlight without sunscreen and yet we've become so fearful of skin cancer that we avoid our best source of what may actually prevent that cancer.
This summer, I am going to do a little research on myself. There is some thought that it's a vitamin D deficiency that causes fair skinned people like me to get sun burned. Since there is no family history of melanoma in my family, I am going to see if raising my stores of vitamin D will prevent sunburns when exposed to the sun up to 4 hours without sunscreen. Of course, when I hike 14ers or spend any significant time at much higher, exposed elevations I will appropriately apply the sunblock, but if I am going to a ball game or sitting on a patio enjoying a summer beverage, I am going SPF free. With a hat on. As part of my experiement I am going to test my vitamin D levels intermittently to monitor for toxicity (which can occur with supplementing which I will do in the beginning).
And in case you are interested as to the other benefits of a little Vitamin D, low levels have been linked to high blood pressure, peripheral arterial disease, and the onset of autimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Hashimoto's (a thyroid condition in which your thyroid fluctuates between being too active and underactive).
So do your body a huge favor and make it a goal to get outside. The recommendation is for as little as 15 mintues a day in direct sunlight when the sun is at it's highest point. Get as much of your body exposed as is appropriate and you may absorb up to 500 IU's in that time period. And make sure you are getting adequate amounts of good fats (avocado, salmon, flax seeds. coconut) in your diet so you are able to move that vitamin D from your skin to the rest of your body!
