[Exploring Life] Sunlight is the essence from which all life on our planet originates, evolves and is energized. Without sunlight we would not exist. Light and health are completely integrated; a lack of sunlight impairs our health. For thousands of years, humankind was naturally exposed to sunlight, without the psychological burden of fear we have manufactured today. Sunlight is essential to nutrition. It is the most important source of Vitamin D we have.
Vitamin D has gained a significant amount of attention in nutritional science and has be heralded by some as a wonder cure for a collage of diseases and disorders. However, intuitively we all instinctively know that exposure to sunlight is not only enjoyable it is essential. We don’t need science to confirm a glaringly obvious reality. It is interesting, however, to explore the terrain of emerging Vitamin D research as it relates to nutrition, disease prevention and cure, as well as physical and psychological health.
Deena Kastor went into teh 2008 Beijinng Olympics full of hope and expectations. But barely three miles into the race, the American marathon record holder fractured a bone in her foot. A blood test soon after revealed a surprising possible culprit: vitamin D deficiency. (Karen Asp, Running on D, Runner’s World Magazine, December 2009)
Sunlight: Myths and Reality
The first thing we must do is undo the anxiety caused by years of misinformed advice warning us against exposure to the sun; equating sunlight with skin cancer has become the norm. How is it that the single most important source of energy supporting life on this planet becomes completely maligned, misrepresented, and degraded? Undoubtedly, sunscreen manufacturers have profited as have the scientists creating the sunscreen products. Ultimately, however, an unjustified fear of the sun was manufactured and paraded through the mind-numbing intersection of science, business and the media.
While the sun is healthy for us, a sunburn is not; it is obvious that sunburn should be avoided. This does not mean that sunscreens should be used. The best and most natural defense against a sunburn is a tan. A tan is created by intelligent exposure to the sun over time; the deeper a tan the more natural protection from the sun there is in the skin. The process of tanning requires a strong nutritional base as well, in other words, the nutritional health of the individual is important as a defense against sunburn and sun damage.
Most sunscreens are toxic. The constant use of sunscreens create the chronic introduction of toxic chemical directly into the bloodstream. Sunlight is not toxic. Consistent and intelligent exposure to sunlight regulates the healthy production of Vitamin D in the body, and builds a natural and safe sunscreen called a tan. The reality is that intelligent exposure to sunlight, without the use of a sun screen, is essential to health and well-being.
Sunlight-Health-Vitamin D: Key Ideas
The Sun is the cosmological phenomenon which is mainly responsible for what the world has become and it would be impossible to remove from the skies without ending the existences of most of all living beings in the same process.
* Unknown
Light is the basic component from which all life originates, evolves, and is energized. Light and health are inseparable.
* Ken Ceder, former co-director Hippocrates Health Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Natural sunlight’s benefits are not limited to vitamin D production. As light enters the eyes, photoreceptors convert the light into nerve impulses that travel along the optic nerve to the brain. These impulses trigger the hypothalamus gland to send neurotransmitters to regulate the automatic functions of the body, such as blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, digestion, sexual function, moods, immune and hormonal modulation, and circadian rhythm.
* John Maher, DC, DCCN, FAAIM.
Humans make thousands of units of vitamin D within minutes of whole body exposure to sunlight. From what we know of nature, it is unlikely such a system evolved by chance.
* Dr. John Cannell, Executive Director, Vitamin D Council.
Technically not a “vitamin,” vitamin D is in a class by itself. Its metabolic product, calcitriol, is actually a secosteroid hormone that targets over 2000 genes (about 10% of the human genome) in the human body.
The skin produces approximately 10,000 IU vitamin D in response 20 to 30 minutes summer sun exposure: 50 times more than the US government’s recommendation of 200 IU per day! [1] [2]
If you live north of the line connecting San Francisco to Philadelphia, odds are you don’t get enough vitamin D… Worldwide, an estimated 1 billion people have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood, and deficiencies can be found in all ethnicities and age groups. The Nutrition Source: Vitamin D and Health – Harvard School of Public Health
Optimizing Vitamin D Levels
There are four main sources of Vitamin D: 1) sunlight; 2) sun beds; 3) food; and 4) supplementation. The ideal source of vitamin D3 is daily exposure to the midday sun over as much of the skin as possible. In colder climates, sun (tanning) beds can provide an important source of vitamin supplementation. Food and supplements can be also used to ensure an adequate balance of vitamin D3 in the body.
- Sunlight: Sunlight is the single most important source of Vitamin D. Regular exposure to the midday sun in spring, summer and fall, is essential for maintaining adequate levels of Vitamin D in the body. Of course, sunburn should be avoided. However, the use of sunscreen should be avoided since it blocks UVA/UVB rays. Only when exposure to the sun is prolonged and avoidable (i.e. – no shaded areas available) and sunburn is inevitable should sunscreen be applied.
On a sunny day, full body exposure to the sun for 30 minutes will produce approximately 10,000 IU of vitamin D. Only people living latitude 35 degrees north or south get enough sunlight for vitamin D production each year. In addition, dark-skinned people require more time in the sun since their skin absorbs less sunlight. Variables affecting vitamin D production include:
- Skin color, and current tan level
- Amount of time spent in the sun
- Weather conditions such as: cloud cover and pollution, ozone layer, surface reflection
- Latitude and altitude (elevation)
- Season
- Time of day
- Use of sunscreen
- Clothing
[See: How Much Sunshine Does it Take to Make Enough Vitamin D? Perhaps More Than You Think!]
The Norwegian Insitute for Air Research offers an online Calculated Ultraviolet Exposure Levels for a Healthy Vitamin D Status, which allows an individual to calculate vitamin D production in the body around variables including geographic location, skin type, nature of exposure, and other variables.
- Sun (Tanning) Bed: During the winter months, a sun (tanning) bed should be used to maintain Vitamin D levels. The sun bed must produce UVB rays and also must use electronic, not magnetic ballasts (seebelow).
- Food: The following foods are rich in vitamin D: mushrooms (450IU/3oz); salmon (360IU/3.5oz); mackeral (345IU/3.5oz); sardines (250IU/1.75oz); tuna (200IU/3oz); whole egg (20IU). While not exactly food, cod liver oil contains 450IU of vitamin D per teaspoon.
- Dietary Supplementation: The correct supplement to take is vitamin D3; vitamin D2 is a synthetic version and is less effective. There is a growing consensus that the RDA of 200 IU is far too low, however determining the optimal daily dose The Vitamin D Council recommends taking 5,000 I.U per day until blood levels reach 50-80mg/nL, then lowering the dose to maintain levels in the ideal range. This method of determing the correct dose is dependent upon blood tests.[3] In The Vitamin D Cure, Dr. James Dows proposes 1,000 IU per 100 pounds of body weight as a estimated safe daily doseage without requiring blood testing. As noted below, a daily doseage of 2,000 IU has been shown to provide protection against the flu.
Vitamin D has been shown to reduce colds and flu. A study published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection demonstrated that taking 2,000 I.U of vitamin D3 reduced the incidence of viral infections. Only one person out of 104 in the study had the flu while taking 2000 I.U. doses of vitamin D, while the people in the control group, who did not take vitamin D, had three colds EACH for a total of 312 colds.[4]
The Mercola Institute recommendation is: “Based on the most recent research, the current recommendation is 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight.” A person weighing 170 pounds would therefore require nearly 6,000 IU of vitamin D3. [5]
- Medical Intervention Dose: As a medical intervention (e.g. using vitamin D to combat the N1H1 Flu) a dosage of 2,000 IU per kilogram of body weight for seven days is recommended. For example, a person weighing 80kg would take 160,000 IU of Vitamin D for a one week period (a total of 1.142 million IU in a one week period). [6]
Vitamin D Toxicity
- The vast majority of people are vitamin D deficient.
- “If there is published evidence of toxicity in adults from an intake of 250 ug (10,000 IU) per day, and that is verified by the 25(OH)D concentration, I have yet to find it.” Reinhold Vieth, PhD [7]
- “In fact, living in America today while worrying about vitamin D toxicity is like dying of thirst in the desert while worrying about drowning.” Dr. John Cannell [8]
- Blood levels of vitamin D requires a test not generally supported in the medical community.
- It is very rare to overdose on vitamin D. Vitamin D toxicity induces abnormally high serum calcium levels (hypercalcemia), which could result in bone loss, kidney stones, and calcification of organs like the heart and kidneys if untreated over a long period of time.
Vitamin D Testing
There are almost no symptoms of vitamin D deficiency; a blood test is the best way to determine vitamin D levels. See: Vitamin D Council: Test Kits.
Sunburns, Sunscreens, Tanning
A sunburn is to be avoided; too much of a good thing quickly turns bad. A sunburn is overexposure to the sun and is like drinking forty glasses of water a day instead of eight. It is also an indicator that there is not enough of a tan in place to help protect the skin. In any case, sunburns mean too much sun at one time.
The single most important fact anyone needs to know about vitamin D is how much nature supplies if we behave naturally, e.g., go into the sun. Humans make at least 10,000 units of vitamin D within 30 minutes of full body exposure to the sun, what is called a minimal erythemal dose. Vitamin D production in the skin occurs within minutes and is already maximized before your skin turns pink. [9]
The use of sunscreen is toxic in two ways: a) By blocking the sun’s rays, the body is not able to produce Vitamin D and we develop a chronic deficiency leading to disease and a weak immune system; and b) the toxic chemicals present in the sunscreen itself enter our bloodstream through the skin.
Melatonin, an artificial hormone, encourages the skin to tan more quickly and is considered to be a replacement for sunscreen. [10] Tanning is the skin’s natural response to sunlight exposure and is something to be encouraged, not avoided. However, any nutritional deficiencies will limit the body’s ability to properly respond to sunlight exposure, so maintaining a high level of nutrition is essential in developing a tan. In the absence of natural sunlight, a tanning bed should be used to gain exposure. [11]
Interestingly, if you avoid getting sunburned yet have regular sun exposure, you will have a decreased risk of the dangerous form of skin cancer, melanoma. Optimizing your sun exposure in this way also reduces your risk of 16 other common cancers! [12]
Sun (Tanning) Beds
A tanning bed may be used if: a) it produces UVB rays; and b) it uses electronic not magnetic ballasts. UVB rays are the cause of vitamin D production in the body. If the tanning bed does not have UVB it is ineffective. Magnetic ballasts create a humming sound and are an audible indicator that the tanning bed is producing an unsafe energy field that will have a negative impact on the body’s energy field. Unless a tanning bed meets both of these quality standard it should not be used. [13]
Sunlight and Vitamin D: Key Points
- Sunlight = Health: Exposure to sunlight, without the use of sunscreens, is an essential requirement of health and well being. Avoidance of sunlight increases the probability of diseases and disorders.
- Sources: Sunlight is the single most important source of Vitamin D. The psychology of fear created by medical science is misguided; exposure to the sun is natural, therapeutic, essential and enjoyable. A tanning bed can be used to provide alternative sunlight exposure during the winter months. Nutritional supplements can be used as a daily supplement, as well as a form of medical intervention (similar to a prescription medication).
- Sunburn, Sunscreen, Tanning: Sunburns should always be avoided. A tan is the bodies natural response to sunlight, and the main preventative measure against a sunburn. Therefore, a tan is nature’s most natural and important sunscreen. Melatonin accelerates the tanning response in the body. Sunscreens should be used when the danger of sunburn is immanent and there is no other recourse. Sunscreens are an absolute last resort.
- Tanning Beds: During the winter, a tanning bed can be very useful if it produces UVB rays and uses electronic (not magnetic ballasts).
Notes
1. The source for many of these quotes is Vitamin D Council | Vitamin D Quotes.
2, 3. Supplementation recommendations taken from the Vitamin D Council.
4. See The Vitamin D Cure and Mercury-Free Flu Shots Available: But Vitamin D and Homeopathy Better Prevent the Flu by Melanie Grimes
5. This recommendation is found in How Much Vitamin D Do You Really Need to Take?. In another article Mercola states: “We routinely put people on 10,000 units a day or more of vitamin D safely as long as we monitor them. It is important to understand that most of us get 10,000 units on a sunny summer day if we have significant exposure. Although the RDA of vitamin D is currently 400 units, it will likely change to 4,000 units in the near future.” Mercola | Too Much Vitamin D Can Cause Cancer. There are also a number of variables that need to be considered as outlined by David Rostollan in Vitamin D: How to Determine Your Optimal Dose.
6. Vitamin D as a medical intervention: Vitamin D Council: N1H1 Flu and Vitamin D. Currently, the maximum single dosage available seems to be 50,000 IU available through Pro-Health | Vitamin D3 Extreme
7. Reinhold Vieth PhD is a Professor in the Departments of Nutritional Sciences, Laboratory Medicine, and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto, and Director of the Bone and Mineral Laboratory Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
8,9. Vitamin D Council | The Truth About Vitamin D Toxicity.
11. See Mercola Vitality Tanning Beds for more information.
12. Mercola | Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.
13. Mercola | Can a Tanning Bed Be Healthy?
Resources
1. Exploring Life @ Delicious – Vitamin D
