Sunlight Can Cut Your Risk of Death in Half

"Having low vitamin D levels has been linked with deaths from heart disease and other causes, adding to growing evidence about the "sunshine" vitamin's role in good health.

People with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D were about two times more likely to die from any cause during an eight-year period than those with the highest levels. The link with heart-related deaths was particularly strong in those with low vitamin D levels.

The study involved over 3,000 men and women in southwest Germany. Participants were aged 62 on average, and their vitamin D levels were checked in weekly blood tests.

It's estimated that at least 50 percent of older adults worldwide have low vitamin D levels, and a significant number of younger people may also be affected. Low vitamin D levels may result from spending less time outdoors, air pollution and a decline in your skin's ability to produce vitamin D from the sun as you age, the researchers said.
Sources:
a.. USA Today June 23, 2008
a.. Archives of Internal Medicine June 23, 2008;168(12):1340-1349

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

If you want to get in on one of the "hottest" trends for your health, take a break from your day and spend some time out in the sunshine. This simple action reduces your risk for so many diseases, I believe it is criminal for physicians not to recommend it.

To get the benefits of the sun, you need to expose a significant portion of your skin (shorts and no shirt for men, and shorts and a sports bra or short tank for women) to the sun for anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours a day. The length depends on your skin color (the darker your skin, the longer you need), how close you are to the equator, and the weather that day (if it's cloudy, for instance).

My new book, Dark Deception, is coming out shortly and contains all the details you need to keep your vitamin D levels in a healthy range. But in the meantime you can check out my Sunshine Special Report to get the basics down.

Did You Know That Sun Exposure Actually Prevents Cancer?

The study above is the second in a matter of weeks showing the importance of vitamin D for your heart. But vitamin D is also emerging as a potent cancer fighter.

Last year, a groundbreaking study found that 600,000 cases of cancer could be prevented every year just by increasing your levels of vitamin D. Even beyond cancer, the researchers pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 could prevent diseases that claim nearly 1 million lives throughout the world each year!

Why did you not hear about this amazing discovery?

Because large corporations can't make any money from you getting out in the sun.

So now's your chance to listen up. Optimizing your vitamin D levels could help you to prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers.

Further, optimal vitamin D levels are also known to positively influence the following conditions:

a.. Heart disease

b.. Diabetes

c.. Inflammatory bowel disease

d.. Rheumatoid arthritis

e.. Multiple sclerosis and osteoporosis

This is One Blood Test I Recommend for Everyone

Because the benefits of optimizing your vitamin D levels are so profound, I urge everyone to get their levels tested. There is more than one vitamin D test, so be sure to ask for the 25(OH)D test, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

When you get your results, ignore the "normal" guidelines the lab sends. Instead, the OPTIMAL value that you're looking for is 45-52 ng/ml (115-128 nmol/l).

Sunlight exposure (without getting burned) is always the best option to increase your vitamin D levels. For the winter months or other times when you simply can't get outside, a vitamin D3 supplement can be used. If you go this latter route, be sure to monitor your vitamin D levels to avoid overdosing.

One final note, when you go outside to get your vitamin D make sure you don't have sunscreen on. By its very nature, sunscreen blocks your body's production of vitamin D. If you're spending a long time outdoors, I recommend going for the first portion without any sunscreen, then covering up afterward with clothing, or applying a natural, non-toxic sunscreen, to avoid getting burned."