Sunshine 101

Sunshine; there is a great deal of information being thrown around these days about the benefits and drawbacks to being exposed to sunshine. So what is the truth? Well for starters, sunshine is required for your body to produce vitamin D and to prevent sunlight deficient depression that affects many people. The facts are that sunlight is good for you and should not be avoided as is so often preached by the “so called” scientific community based on 50 years of bad science. Medical scientists now admit to the same type of bad information that was recommended to the public on topics such as low-fat diets, cholesterol is bad, margarine is good for you, drugs are safe, and sunshine is bad for your skin. Once these uneducated beliefs are circulated in the public for so many years, they are hard to reverse. But the facts (and common sense) say otherwise!

The fact is that sunlight converts cholesterol (yes, that dreaded body compound that doctors try so hard to needlessly remove from your body with dangerous drugs) into the critical vitamin D3 – an absolutely essential nutrient to fight cancer and a provide an array of health benefits. And cancer is the very thing that medical “science” said is caused by sunlight. The facts now reveal that survival rates for people with cancers like colon, lung, breast, and prostate increase with sun exposure. Sun exposure converts adequate cholesterol levels in your body and skin into necessary stores of vitamin D. These normal vitamin D levels positively influence heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, hormone levels, arthritis, cancer, and more. However, if you are depending on getting your vitamin D from supplements or milk, this will not work very well because this type of vitamin D is usually vitamin D2 and is grossly inferior (can even be toxic at high levels) to the type of vitamin D we are talking about – vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol.

Vitamin D3 comes from the foods condemned by the low-fat groups – eggs, organ meats, animal fat, cod liver oil, and fish. A nutritious diet should include fish, cod liver oil, animal foods, and eggs. To insure adequate vitamin D, especially if you do not eat animal foods, you need to take a teaspoon or 2-3 capsules of cod liver oil (preferably, Blue Ice High Vitamin cod liver oil from Standard Process Labs). You can order Standard Process Labs products by calling 800-231-8063. They are the best available anywhere.

Another benefit to vitamin D is that vitamin D along with other minerals and nutrients, acts to drive calcium to the bones. This is just one of the many benefits that healthy stores of vitamin D in the body will help with.

It is important to understand how sunshine affects your skin in the production of vitamin D. The two main forms of ultraviolet light in sunshine are UVA and UVB. But only UVB causes vitamin D to be produced by the skin. Interestingly, UVA can actually reduce vitamin D levels. These two forms of ultraviolet work together in natural sunlight to balance the amount of vitamin D produced and help avoid overdosing on vitamin D when outdoors. But how you get sunlight exposure can significantly affect this balance.

Malignant melanoma has been increasing at a high rate in indoor workers since before 1940. The reason may be indoor exposure to UVA radiation. Unlike UVB, which is blocked by glass, UVA can pass through windows. People who spend a lot of time near windows or riding in cars are the most susceptible to too much UVA exposure. UVA can cause cancerous mutations, and can also break down the vitamin D formed in your skin after outdoor UVB exposure. And vitamin D is a potent defense against melanoma - melanoma cells convert it to calcitriol, which causes growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death in vitro and in vivo. New research shows that increased UVA exposures and inadequately maintained cutaneous levels of vitamin D promote melanoma.

Here’s something you won’t hear every day

Showering can affect your vitamin D levels. The vitamin D3 that is formed is on the surface of your skin and does not immediately penetrate into your bloodstream. It actually needs to be absorbed from the surface of your skin into your bloodstream. Studies now show that it can take up to 48 hrs for your skin to fully absorb the vitamin D that it has produced after being exposed to the sun. If you shower (with soap) shortly after sun exposure, you may be washing off much of the vitamin D before your skin has had a chance to absorb it. If you are borderline on getting enough vitamin D, and I expect most of us who live in the northwest are, you might consider only using soap on the small critical areas when showering after sun exposure. That will help retain the beneficial vitamin D until it can be absorbed by the body.

In summary, everyone should try to get 15-20 minutes of maximum skin exposure to sunlight every day, making sure to avoid any burning of the skin. Use sun block as little as possible. Since sunshine is not always available, be sure to eat vitamin D rich foods like fish, cod liver oil, animal foods, and eggs. Avoid low-fat diets and eat more of the “good” fats like olive oil, coconut oil, flax seeds, nuts, avocadoes, fish, grass fed beef and butter. Remember that fat is essential for utilizing many different nutrients in your body. The old “heart-health” low-fat diet recommended for years to heart patients is not only wrong; it is dangerous and extremely unhealthy. If you don’t believe me then do your own research and prove it to yourself. But I have done the work for you so be sure to take advantage of it and get plenty of healthy sunshine and "good" fats in your diet.

Till next time, stay healthy and happy.

JD Roma