It’s the dog days of summer and we’re all trying to squeeze in those last precious days in the sun before the cooler weather arrives and COVID most likely forces us back into our homes again.
Of course, everyone is concerned about COVID right now and rightly so. We’re doing everything possible to stay healthy and to keep those we love healthy, too.
Right now, we’re out in the sun, right? And we can manufacture vitamin D from sunlight, right? So why would we need to take a supplement when the sun is so intense?
How about to gain another layer of protection against viral infections?
Vitamin D is an essential weapon in our arsenal against all types of infections, including viral infections, like COVID.
A pivotal 2017 study, compiled from 25 clinical studies conducted in 14 countries concluded that vitamin D supplements can help prevent acute respiratory infections, especially in people who are vitamin D deficient.
So, can you get enough D just from sunlight?
Well, try this one on for size: Are you using sunscreen every time you’re out in the sun? Does your moisturizer have sunscreen in it? I’ll go into the dangers of commercial sunscreens in another article, but what’s your answer to the first two questions?
If you’re like most of us, you paid heed to medical advice that began back in the ’80s warning us that we would get skin cancers from overexposure to sunlight. So all of us dutifully slathered on sunscreen, effectively blocking out life-giving sun’s rays, perhaps even causing more cancers than we might prevent.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The first message is simple: If you’re using sunscreen all the time, you’re not getting enough vitamin D, plain and simple. Even if you’re covering up with long sleeves and a hat without sunscreen, you’re probably still in vitamin D deficit.
No, you won’t burn. You probably won’t even tan. Take a look at me.
I’m about as pale as they come and I don’t burn when I limit my exposure to those levels.
No, you won’t get skin cancer in those few short minutes. Skin cancer should be the least of our worries.
We need to expose as much skin as possible (as is legal?) to noonday sun for 10 minutes three times a week to manufacture the vitamin D that is essential to:
Boost your immune function and resist viral infections
Prevent at least 16 kinds of cancer
Protect your brain from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia
Protect your heart and lower blood pressure
Keep blood sugars steady and prevent diabetes
Alleviate depression
Prevent obesity
Keep bones and joints strong
Prevent kidney disease
Improve digestive health
Relieve menopausal symptoms
Prevent autoimmune diseases
Lengthen your life span
In fact, look at the list above. A solid body of research now shows that adequate vitamin D levels protect against breast, endometrial, ovarian, prostate, colorectal, cancer, lymphoma, lung, esophageal, bladder, gallbladder, gastric, pancreatic, rectal and renal. Inversely, people with the lowest levels of vitamin D are at the highest risk for these cancers.
Researchers estimate the about 30% of all cancer deaths—about 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the U.S. each year — could be prevented if everyone got sufficient vitamin D.
OK—you’re already had a skin cancer? Most likely it’s on your face or head. For safety’s sake, cover your face and head with a towel while you’re exposing arms legs, chest and back to the sun.
I can almost guarantee that most of us aren’t getting enough vitamin D, even now at the height of summer. You need to stock up for the long, dreary winter ahead since the vitamin D you manufacture now will last about three months. That’s why we start seeing depression when all the gloom of November begins. And that’s a story for another day.
Have your vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D) checked. They should be between 40 and 60 nmol/L. A simple blood test will determine your levels and your need for supplementation with vitamin D3. Most of us need between 1,000 and 5,000 IU daily in summer and more as the winter progresses and sunlight is less available.
Meanwhile get out there while you can. Take advantage of Nature’s free life-giving rays. Take off as many clothes as you can or dare. And don’t get arrested.
