The sunlight is not all bad for you, so if you’re avoiding the sun, take vitamin D supplements to compensate for the deficiency. Or, according to health expert, just take vitamin D because the sun alone might not be enough to provide us with a healthy dose.
The debates have been going on for years regarding the natural way or acquiring our vitamins and the chemical way that might be easier, faster and in controlled doses. Even experts have conflicting opinions on their benefits, but conclusions have been drawn that the possible risks would be worth to take against the consequences of a possible deficiency.
The vitamin industry has seen over $36 billion in sales last year, but only 8% were for supplements for vitamin D.
Studies have shown that 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 children have a vitamin D deficiency, which could lead to many risks later in life. It has been linked to heart disease, type 1 diabetes, certain types of cancers, multiple sclerosis in teenagers and osteoporosis.
And the sun itself is not enough to provide us with enough of it. Furthermore, skin cancer awareness and melanoma risks have apparently overdid their purpose, by not only warning people to wear sunscreen, but generally causing them to fear exposure to the sun, which is crucial to our health in limited doses.
Health experts are still on the fence how much sun exposure we actually need in order to meet the healthy standards. Burns are understandably and obviously bad, so it was said to be around half the time it takes for our skin to go pink. Since not everyone absorbs the sun’s rays at the same rate, a proper time of exposure cannot be universally measured, and it’s up to each person in part to assess their needs.
Vitamin D helps calcium stick to our bones and teeth, making them stronger and fighting the outside elements, such as nutrition or acidic drinks. An indoor lifestyle can cause a dangerous deficiency and Dr. John Cannell of the Vitamin D Council has emphasized the point that there are only two choices: the sun or supplements.
However, other experts have recommended a change in diet to meals that might provide vitamin D, such as fat fish, eggs, fortified milk, cereal, orange juice or certain types of mushrooms. It’s yet undecided if it’s enough though, so supplements should still be prioritized.
The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily dose of 600 IU (international units, or 15 micrograms of vitamin D.
Image source: articles.mercola.com
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