Vitamin D-The Sunshine VItamin
In recent times the sun has become a demon of sorts, with a dozen commercials advertising what exposure to the sun can do to our skin. As a result we run for cover and slop our bodies with tons of sunscreen little knowing that we are depriving our body of the much wanted sunshine Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is known to strengthen bones and help fight cancers in many forms. Vitamin D has a number of other benefits to the human body that we are ignorant about. Vitamin D is naturally produced in the body through exposure to skin and its benefits are profound. A few of the benefits that are worth enlisting are as follows.
· Vitamin D helps strengthen bones by maintain calcium balance
· Strengthen body immunity
· Aids cell differentiation
· Suppresses inflammation
· Vitamin D also aids in fighting diseases like osteoporosis, different forms of cancer including skin cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, hypertension, and even rheumatoid arthritis.
Research has come up with astounding results that states, three out of four Americans suffer from vitamin deficiency. Across the globe Vitamin D deficiency has become a common medical condition. Now that we know the benefits that Vitamin D has to offer us, let us go through a few tips and tricks to help the body synthesise the essential sunshine vitamin.
· Get your dose of vitamin D: Vitamin D is your friend not your foe, do not hide from sunshine. Thirty minutes of sunshine a week, is enough for your body. Safe and limited sunscreen free exposure will help your body produce Vitamin D. Tanning beds is not a substitute. Avoid sunscreen free exposure between 10 am and 4 pm.
· Wear sunscreen that does not block vitamin D absorption. Most sunscreens block your skin from UV damage but also the absorption vitamin D.
· Eat a well balanced diet. Include eggs, yoghurt, milk and other food that contains Vitamin D. You can also eat antioxidant rich food like blueberries and pomegranates that help protect sun damage naturally.
· Take a multivitamin supplement that contains Vitamin D. Have you Vitamin D levels checked by a physician and if needed he will recommend a higher dose of the vitamin to be incorporated in your diet.