Throughout history, humanity has always thrived in the sun. It’s the one resource that is abundant, renewable, and won’t run out for another few billion years. Not only is the sun a valuable source for renewable energy, it is also essential for humans. You see, sunlight plays a direct role in the body’s manufacturing of vitamin D. UV light reacts with cholesterol in your blood vessels to convert a Vitamin D precursor, which is metabolized by the liver and kidneys into the active form. Yet, millions of people are suffering from low levels of vitamin D, 42% of Americans per the National Institutes of Health. Even worse, they’re finding that vitamin D supplements are ineffective at preventing bone mineral loss. Vitamin D is not just another vitamin, the active form of the vitamin (calcitriol) serves as a hormone in the regulation of blood calcium by signalling the intestines to absorb calcium.
But what do we do now, we put on our sunscreen and shy away from the sun. And there are some valid, good reasons to do so. UV light can cause skin cancers including melanoma. Yet, sunlight is where most of the body’s source of Vitamin D originates. See, humans have thrived for thousands of years making our own vitamin D. In areas near the arctic, they have school children expose themselves to UV light for 30 minutes during the winter to help maintain vitamin D status.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to or associated with:
⦁ lower testosterone production and fertility in males
⦁ osteoporosis in males and females
⦁ fatigue
⦁ hair loss
⦁ muscle weakness
⦁ decreased appetite
⦁ more susceptible to illness or getting sick
⦁ increased risk of depression/mood changes
What are some ways you can mitigate this, you might ask? Well, there are several ways. Although Vitamin D supplementation was found to be ineffective at preventing bone mineral loss, there are good reasons to try and not only supplement but get out in the sun a bit.
⦁ Several studies have shown Vitamin D supplementation can raise testosterone levels
⦁ Not all Vitamin D supplements are the same. Vitamin D3 is more effective than Vitamin D2.
⦁ Foods that are rich in Vitamin D are in general good for your health.
⦁ The RDA for Vitamin D is much lower than one should actually take. A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D was recently discovered; in a correct analysis of the data used by the Institute of Medicine, it was found that 8895 IU/d was needed for 97.5% of individuals to achieve values ≥50 nmol/L. (Papadimitriou DT. The Big Vitamin D Mistake. J Prev Med Public Health. 2017 Jul;50(4):278-281. doi: 10.3961/jpmph.16.111. Epub 2017 May 10. PMID: 28768407; PMCID: PMC5541280.)
Vitamin D is important for our health. Get out in the sun, eat Vitamin D fortified foods, supplement Vitamin D3 as opposed to Vitamin D2.