Safe Sun: Vitamin D

Summer makes us all happy. Longer days, more time outdoors, family vacations; summer has its own way of arousing nostalgia and bringing out our childhood tendencies.  While the fear of premature aging and skin cancer may keep some of us indoors or lathered in sunscreen, it's important to understand and be able to embrace the dog days of summer and these beautiful, golden rays. Sunlight provides us with increased serotonin (joy), increased melatonin (rest) and, most notably, the essential and all-around beneficial Vitamin D (health). 

Vitamin D

Interestingly, Vitamin D is a hormone and not actually a vitamin. The body receives roughly 90 to 95% of its Vitamin D from casual sunlight exposure by utilizing Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to start the complex conversion process of a cholesterol derivative in the skin into a usable form of Vitamin D. This fat-soluble hormone is essential for growing and maintaining bone health and supporting a strong immune system that helps protect us against disease and even cancer. 

WHY WE NEED IT

Vitamin D provides a host of benefits. The best-known function of active vitamin D is to help regulate blood levels of calcium and phosphorous, even if calcium levels from dietary intake are not sufficient. Because our bodies use cholesterol to make Vitamin D, our cholesterol levels are lower during sunnier months. Adequate vitamin-D levels have also been linked to a reduced risk of developing breast, colon, and prostrate cancers.

Consequently, the Vitamin D Council warns that NOT getting enough Vitamin D has been linked to conditions such as cancer, asthma, type-I and type-II diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, Alzheimer’s and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease.

PLAY IT SAFE, NATURALLY

Practicing a natural lifestyle gives our bodies an advantage to handle the sun's potentially harmful rays. Below are a few things to always be included. 

ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants are critical to combat the negative effects of UV-rays. Although not a coincidence, foods high in antioxidants - berries and green leafy veggies - are most prevalent during sunnier months. Nature has an awesome way of providing us what we need for each season.  

One promising study also shows that supplementing with Astaxanthin may reduce the negative effects of UVA-induced photoaging, and provide an internal sunscreen, of sorts, for our skin. 

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

Protecting our skin from the inside - out. The more that omega-3 fatty acids are consumed, the greater the body is protected from sunburn. Like studies with Astaxanthin, researchers have found that increasing omega-3's via fish oil supplementation can reduce UVB-induced sensitivity from the sun. Read the study, here.   

NATURAL SUNBLOCK

We will cover sunscreen in more detail later, but it's important to note that natural sunscreens may just be a better option overall. The most beneficial sun protectants contain a naturally occurring mineral in the form of Zinc Oxide. It is the best performing ingredient for blocking both UVA and UVB rays, making it a great broad spectrum option. Unlike chemical sunscreens that absorb into the bloodstream and increase system toxicity, non-nano zinc oxide forms a physical barrier on the skin to reflect the sun's rays. 

Keep in mind that sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 and above prevent vitamin-D synthesis. It's best to apply a sunscreen after enough time has elapsed to provide sufficient vitamin-D synthesis. For most people, exposing the hands, face, and arms on a clear summer day for fifteen minutes a few times a week should do. Those with darker skin, and some of Asian decent, require longer sunlight exposure because melanin, a skin pigment, acts as a natural sunscreen.