Why You Need Vitamin D and Safe Tanning Beds?

More than any other topic, people have sent me questions about the "safe tanning beds" I mentioned in a previous post. I do have information on those in this article, but as a health educator, I must tell you about the absolute necessity of Vitamin D, or I won't feel like I am doing my job. So, to satisfy both of our needs, here is the scoop on Vitamin D and safe tanning beds. . .

When I was growing up there were about 12 to 15 nutrients in my multivitamin. Now, there are about 50 of them. Why? Because we keep finding things that are essential to our health but because of lifestyle habits, we don’t get usually enough of them. Only in the last 10 years have we realized the absolute necessity of Vitamin D for just about everything.

Unfortunately, research has shown that 41% of men and 53% of women are deficient in this nutrient. Some research shows that up to 85% of us are Vitamin D deficient depending on the time of year it is and where we live. That could mean serious problems as you will see below.

Best Sources

The best source for Vitamin D, no argument, is by getting about 15 to 20 minutes of sunshine on about 40%  the body, two or three times a week. Yes, without sunscreen. This however is not likely to happen in the winter months, at least not for me.

The next best way to get Vitamin D is from your diet. Foods that contain Vitamin D are eggs, beef liver, and fatty fish. You can also get it in cereals and milk, but regrettably, these foods are fortified with a synthetic version of Vitamin D.

The only other way, until recently, to make sure you get enough Vitamin D, is to supplement with Vitamin D3 – (not D2). There are problems with supplementation. You can get too much Vitamin D with supplementation, which does not happen when you get it naturally from the sun because your body will quit producing it just as the skin gets warm and turns a light pink.

 Because Vitamin D is stored in the body, most health professionals will tell you that in order to know how much you need, you need to know how much you have. That means taking a blood test. That isn’t very likely for most people.

Safe Tanning?

Now there is another way to make sure you get enough of this crucial nutrient. A safe tanning bed. Okay this was a jump for me. I am usually very skeptical about things like this, but as I see the great need my kids have for this nutrient, (we live in Utah) I have found it is actually something I might want. I have not tried one of these, but I have used other products from Mercola and have been pleased with them.

I have included a link at that will give you more information, so that you can make your own decision. (If any of you students know my husband Dr. Olpin, give him a hint that this would be a great Christmas present for us. Be sure to mention the one that has red light which prevents wrinkles :) Of course the key to understanding these beds is to realize that they are actually not tanning beds, they are Vitamin D beds, and they may not be beds at all, (you stand in front of the light instead of lying on a bed. This makes things a bit more sanitary). There are strict schedules for these devices which are based on skin tone for how long to tan and how many days to wait between sessions. They have timers to make sure you do not over expose your skin - so get out when the timer goes off. Depending on the model, you may or may not get tan, (some models use bulbs that only emit UVB radiation for Vitamin D, but not UVA radiation for tanning). This differs greatly from regular tanning beds in salons, which are not well regulated, may use different bulbs that emit x-rays, and have been linked to increased skin cancer rates.

Vitamin D Beds

Here is what Vitamin D does and why you need it.   You still need to know why Vitamin D is sooooooo good for you so I started out giving brief descriptions of the research, diseases, and processes involved in the benefits of Vitamin D and the problems that occur as a result of its deficiency. I also wanted to keep this article less than 100 pages long and I have a two year old who wants me to shoot hoops with him. So, if you are interested, look up any of the topics below in good, solid, quality health sources like professional health and medical journals, text books, and nutrition experts. You will find what I found. I just put together the following list for convenience.

Current research suggests that every cell in your body has Vitamin D receptors. If this is true, that would mean that every cell, tissue and organ that constitutes you, needs this nutrient to function properly.

Vitamin D has shown to have influence on over 2,000 of the 3o,ooo genes in your body.  It regulates the expression of the genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy the bad guys. That is the reason it has influence on so many diseases from cancer to autism, from osteoporosis to heart disease, from arthritis to the flu. (People with optimum Vitamin D levels  rarely get the flu.)

Vitamin D prevents aging – ok a brief explanation here. It does this by slowing the turnover of leukocytes and the shortening of telomeres. Those are the markers for aging. Want to look younger – get enough Vitamin D.

Vitamin D reduces risk for all-cause mortality - WOW!

Vitamin D is crucial in metabolizing calcium for healthy bones. Taking a calcium supplement doesn’t work if you don’t have enough Vitamin D.

Vitamin D mediates immunological effects of immune cells.

Vitamin D prevents cancer –take note if you are at risk for breast cancer.

·         Vitamin D hormone induces death of cancer cells in vitro and vivo.

·         It is beneficial to those with prostate cancer

·         It increases the self destruction of mutated cells

·         It reduces breast and ovarian cancer risks by 30%

·         It reduces colon cancer risk by 50%

·         It reduces pancreatic cancer by 43%

·         It reduces the spread and reproduction of cancer cells

·         It inhibits the growth of new blood vessels to cancer cells

·         Cancer patients who have had surgery are more likely to survive with good Vitamin D levels

·         It prevents cancer incidence (60% cancer reduction in those who have not yet had cancer, 77% reduction in those who had cancer diagnosed in the first year.)

·         There was a marked difference in the cancer risk in countries that were classified as sunny than those classified as less-sunny.

Deficiencies cause or contribute to

·         rickets

·         osteoporosis

·         osteomalacia

·         bone disease

·         multiple sclerosis

·         osteoarthritis

·         heart disease (men with low Vitamin D are 62% more likely to have a cardiovascular event)

·         high blood pressure

·         osteopenia

·         cardiovascular risks

·         stroke

·         epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation are associated with Vitamin D deficiency in childhood.

·         an increased risk of HINI

·         an increased risk of other infections like tuberculosis, influenza, and pneumonia

·         heart attacks peak in winter months and decrease in summer except in tropical latitudes

In addition,this is a list compiled by Mercola.com of areas where it is crucial to have appropriate Vitamin D levels.

• Cell formation and cell longevity
  Skin health
  Heart health
  Pancreatic health
  Aging process
  Sleep patterns
  Hearing
  Reproductive health
  Athletic performance
  Eye health
  Vascular system health
  Respiratory health
  Immune health... Most people feel in better health during the summer sunshine months -- ever wonder why?
  Healthy mood and feelings of well-being
  Weight management, including carbohydrate and fat metabolism
  Hair and hair follicles
  Strong and healthy bones, because vitamin D encourages calcium uptake
  Muscles
  Proper digestion and food absorption
  
  Other References

Add Years to Your Life with Vitamin D     Take this Supplement for Heart Health     Asthma and Low Vitamin D  Vitamin D and Colon Health