A study done by Michael Holick of Boston University School of Medicine estimates that one billion people in the world are deficient in vitamin D. People who don’t get enough vitamin D are at risk of a number of health problems, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders and osteoporosis. We get D via supplements, food, and exposure to sunlight.People who live in areas that don’t get enough of the sun’s vitamin D-producing UVB rays have been shown to have higher rates of many types of cancers, diabetes, heart problems, multiple sclerosis, and Chron’s disease.It’s hard to get enough D from most dietary sources, so there are basically three ways to obtain adequate amounts of vitamin D: Eat oily fish or take a fish oil supplement (cod liver oil being the best), take specific vitamin D supplements, or increase sun exposure.It stands to reason that the unnatural aversion to sun exposure that’s been promoted by health authorities in recent years would eventually have negative effects.While laying out in the blazing sun all day is not good for anyone, a reasonable recommendation for obtaining sufficient vitamin D from sunlight is exposure of seventy percent of the body for twenty to twenty-five minutes three or four times a week.
When this is impossible, or if you live at a latitude which does not receive sufficient sun exposure in the winter months, then supplementation with cod liver oil or regular ingestion of fatty fish such as salmon or mackerel would be a good second choice.
Don’t depend on the fact that some dairy and other products are fortified with vitamin D. This has been shown to be insufficient.
It appears that the sensible advice of “physical culture” aficionados back in the 1950’s, which many have chuckled at over the ensuing decades as unscientific, may have been right on - enjoy fresh air and sunshine, eat a healthy diet that excludes processed foods, get some exercise, including strength training, on a regular basis, and enjoy life. While the physical culturists didn’t have any scientific evidence, their common sense told them this was the way to go, and over the years science seems to be proving them right. So go out and get a little sun tomorrow.
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