Sunshine is Necessary for Good Health

Ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight triggers the skin to make vitamin D3. The body can make Vitamin D3 from dietary intake of Vitamin D2, however, some people have trouble converting vitamin D2 to D3 and even if their body can make the conversion the quantities are usually inadequate.

Vitamin D3 is needed to help regulate calcium metabolism and to keep serum calcium levels in range. Proper serum calcium levels, enables the body use calcium, which is essential for normal bone growth, cell differentiation in bone marrow, and maintaining a healthy nervous system as well.

If your nervous system is lacking needed nutrients then the body’s communication system will not function properly. A break down of communication can negatively affect every part of the body. Scientific studies shows vitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] in its active state in the body may boost immune response and it may also play a role in preventing autoimmunity.

In addition, laboratory animal studies show that vitamin D is involved in insulin secretion and human testing in regards to a deficiency of vitamin D may cause problems with insulin secretion. (16)

Vitamin D may prevent cancer because it slows rapidly dividing cells (normal or mutated) and promotes cell differentiation, which occurs in the bone marrow. Cell differentiation is the process, in which stem cells in bone marrow change to different types of cells (such as blood cells, muscle cells, organ cells, or skin cells) as needed by the body.

“Several studies observing large groups of people found that those with higher vitamin D levels also had lower rates of cancer. For some of these studies, doctors had blood samples to measure vitamin D, making the findings particularly strong.” (17)

1. Lack of sunshine is obvious and lack in the diet. Most multi-vitamins contain only vitamin D2 (a weaker form of D), which then has to be converted in the liver to the active form of Vitamin D3. One problem is that the vitamin A in the multi-vitamin neutralizes Vitamin D2 benefits.

2. Another problem is that some people, especially the elderly have trouble converting D2 into its active form. Even if you eat Vitamin D food sources such as: salmon, mackerel, tuna, milk, and etc., very little of that actually makes it into the blood stream.

Easy Remedy? Take a 30-minute walk with your kids and get sunshine plus exercise, which leads me to my next point. (17)

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Sunshine is Necessary for Good Health!