April 10, 2025

Are You Getting Enough Sun and Vitamin D?

Did you know that your body produces vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight? However, despite this unique ability, 40%-75% of people are deficient in vitamin D. This is because there are just too many factors that affect your skin’s ability to produce vitamin D. They include season, time of day, air pollution, presence of clouds, age, color, and whether you are wearing sunscreen. These reasons, coupled with the fact that vitamin D is not naturally present in most of our foods, mean that we often have to take supplements. Why Do You Need Vitamin D? Vitamin D has a well-established role in bone health. Its deficiency leads to low bone mass, osteoporosis, stiffness, and muscle aches. Vitamin D also plays a very important role in repairing damaged cells and boosting the immune system. This is why the body has 200 different cell types that have receptors for vitamin D. Finally, studies suggest that vitamin D has the ability to reduce the risk of depression, weight gain, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. This alone should make you want to get enough vitamin D! Get Your Vitamin D Levels Checked The easiest way to find out if you’re getting enough of this amazing sunshine vitamin is to ask your doctor to run a simple blood test. Depending on your vitamin D blood level, your healthcare provider might recommend supplements. Get More Sun During the summer, you can easily get the necessary 5000-10,000…