Sunlight exposure during the day can be good for your eyes
Jul 20, 2021
Researchers found that those with higher sunlight exposure during the day had significantly higher levels of macular pigment, which prevents age-related vision loss.
Summer is a sight for sore eyes in more ways than one. A study by the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland has found that diet and daytime exposure to sunlight are the two key factors behind good eye health.
Based on a comparison between Mexican and Irish population samples, the study found that Mexicans had significantly higher levels of macular pigment.
Low levels of this pigment have been proposed to be a risk factor for macular degeneration, the leading cause of significant vision loss usually found in those over 55. This pigment is also known to protect the retina from damage by absorbing harmful blue light.
full story . . . |
 |
Nutrition: Top up on vitamin D when the sun shines
Jul 19, 2021
WE are set for some beautiful weather this weekend, so let's make the most of it and get outside to those vitamin D levels topped up.
Vitamin D has been hot news in the last few years, and the Covid pandemic has thrown new light on its importance for immune support.
We have known for some time that vitamin D does a lot more than just protecting us from developing rickets. From cardiovascular support to immune balance, mood and muscles, this is a hard working fat soluble vitamin, that has effects on every cell in your body.
Sunshine and SPFs
Although it is an essential nutrient, the main source of vitamin D isn't food, but sunshine. Our skin makes vitamin D when it comes into contact with the sun's UVB rays.
Using sunscreen is essential to protect our skin from the damaging effects of the sun's rays, but it does stop vitamin D synthesis, so although it is important to wear an SPF, it is also a good idea to get about 15 minutes of unprotected sun on your skin most days during the summer, taking care not to burn.
full story . . . |
|
Turns out getting enough sun may protect you from cancer
Jul 12, 2021
-
Inadequate exposure to ultraviolet light is linked to colon cancer.
-
• A lack of UV light may reduce levels of vitamin D.
• Vitamin D can also be found in many common foods.
Can tanning help fight developing cancer?
While tanning has been linked to skin cancer, a new study found that not receiving enough sun could result in a greater risk of developing colorectal cancer, also known as colon cancer.
Researchers at the University of California-San Diego said deficient exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun may increase colorectal cancer risk because meager amounts of UV light can reduce levels of vitamin D.
full story . . . |
|
Scientist Prue Hart: ‘Sunburn causes havoc in the skin – we should avoid it’
Jul 12, 2021
 The inflammation researcher explains the health benefits and dangers of soaking up the sun
Prof Prue Hart is head of the inflammation research group at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Australia, which studies the beneficial effects of sunlight exposure on our health and whether these are the result of UV-induced vitamin D or other molecules produced in our skin upon exposure to sunlight.
What exactly happens when the sun hits our skin?
Sunlight is made up of three components: there’s the visible light that gives colour to everything we see; infrared light, which provides the heat; and ultraviolet (UV) light, which is probably the most important for our health.
full story . . . |
|
Taking Vitamin D supplements during coronavirus infection beneficial, dips levels of cytokine storm: PGIMER meta-analysis
Jul 08, 2021
As Covid-19 continues to affect lives, the search for an effective therapy remains elusive. Accordingly, multiple existing drugs have been repurposed for the management of coronavirus infection. In this context, the role of Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin, which is primarily related to bone and mineral metabolism in Covid-19 management has been debated several times, with some data diminishing its role and some studies indicating its benefits in Covid-19.
Considering the heterogeneity in the available clinical evidence, a present systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken by PGI doctors to provide a precise summary and collate the effect of Vitamin D supplementation on adverse clinical outcomes in Covid-19 patients. Summarising the hitherto available clinical evidence, doctors at PGI, have recently published a study in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation titled, ‘Vitamin D supplementation and clinical outcomes in Covid-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.’
full story . . . |
|
Best Ways To Soak Up Vitamin D While At Home
Jul 07, 2021
Repeated lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have taken a toll on our lifestyle in more ways than one. One drawback of being forced to stay indoors has been spending little time in the sun. Since sunlight is the main source of vitamin D, not getting enough sunshine -- whether we can help it or not -- puts us at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Here's what you can do to make sure you get enough vitamin D while at home.
Unlike most vitamins, which are absorbed through diet, vitamin D is produced by the body as a result of direct sunlight exposure on the skin. While there are some foods and supplements that can help, the best source of vitamin D remains soaking up some sunshine, hence its "sunshine vitamin" moniker.
As such, not spending enough time outdoors can have a long-term adverse effect on the mind and body alike, depriving you of this essential vitamin.
According to the Mayo Clinic, vitamin D is crucial for bone health.
full story . . . |
|
|
|
|
| Events |
|
Vitamin D Workshop
Oct 13, 2021
eSymposia - October 13-14, 2021
For more information:
https://virtual.keystonesymposia.org/ks/live/888/page/9693
event details |
|
| Blog |
|
Over 100 Scientists, Doctors, & Leading Authorities Call For Increased Vitamin D Use To Combat COVID-19
Dec 10, 2020
By Dr. Karl Pfleger, PhD AI & Computer Science, Stanford University
To all governments, public health officials, doctors, and healthcare workers,
Scientific evidence indicates vitamin D reduces infections & deaths.
Research shows low vitamin D levels almost certainly promote COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Given its safety, we call for immediate widespread increased vitamin D intakes.
Vitamin D modulates thousands of genes and many aspects of immune function, both innate and adaptive. The scientific evidence1 shows that:
-
Higher vitamin D blood levels are associated with lower rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
-
Higher D levels are associated with lower risk of a severe case (hospitalization, ICU, or death).
-
Intervention studies (including RCTs) indicate that vitamin D can be a very effective treatment.
-
Many papers reveal several biological mechanisms by which vitamin D influences COVID-19.
-
Causal inference modeling, Hill’s criteria, the intervention studies & the biological mechanisms indicate that vitamin D’s influence on COVID-19 is very likely causal, not just correlation.
full post . . . |
|
UV→D NOW – Understanding the importance of sun exposure for health
Nov 12, 2020
By Perry Holman, Executive Director, Vitamin D Society
COVID-19 has spawned an entirely new angle of ultraviolet and vitamin D research in 2020 – bringing the role of UV and vitamin D into the health of your immune system into the forefront once again.
Research studies over the past 6 months have been consistent: People with higher vitamin D levels, naturally produced when your skin is exposed to UVB light from the sun, have a reduced risk of catching COVID-19 and a less severe outcome if they do contract the virus 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
COVID-19 cases dropped substantially during our Canadian summer when people were out in the sunlight making vitamin D in their skin.
This is why we are focusing Vitamin D Awareness Month in 2020 on the main source of vitamin D: sunshine.
full post . . . |
|
Did the sunlight deficiency pandemic lead to another?
Jul 16, 2020
by Dr. Gerry Schwalfenberg MD, CCFP, FCFP
Why do some people die from COVID-19, and others do not? As we re-open our economies, how can we manage risks and protect ourselves. We know age and some diseases place us at increased risk but these may not be modifiable. What can we modify?
I have been researching the effects of vitamin D on the human body for about 15 years, and I’m struck by how low levels of vitamin D seem to be correlated to higher risk from COVID-19.
You can get vitamin D from various sources, but the most common source is sunlight. Exposing your skin to sunlight, without burning, increases your vitamin D levels. Inevitably, certain populations and certain countries spend more time outside. You can see the impacts on vitamin D levels, and we may also be seeing those impacts on COVID-19 levels.
full post . . . |
|
| Books |
|
Susan Rex Ryan
Defend Your Life
 Defend Your Life has three main sections. The first addresses the fundamentals of vitamin D3 and its awesome benefits as well as minimal risk. The second highlights select diseases and conditions about which vitamin D3 may offer protection. The third includes the author's personal vitamin D3 story, including her theory about adequate vitamin D3 levels and how you can 'Defend Your Life'.
Reading this book will help you understand how adequate amounts of vitamin D3 are essential to enhancing your quality of life.
|
|
Ian Wishart
Vitamin D: Is This the Miracle Vitamin?
 In this compelling new book,award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author Ian Wishart brings together the most up to date science on vitamin D and how it could well save your life. Cancer? Up to a 77% reduction in risk of developing it if you take this vitamin. Heart disease? The same kind of reduction. Did you know that autism, mental illness and multiple sclerosis all appear to be caused by a lack of vitamin D during pregnancy?
The lives of every single person, including you, will be affected by the information in this book. With more than 300 scientific trials and studies cited, this book is a reference guide not just for the general reader but for medical professionals alike.
|
|
John J. Cannell, MD
Athlete's Edge - Faster, Quicker, Stronger with vitamin D
 John Cannell, founder and executive director of the Vitamin D Council, provides a new perspective on the vitamin D story revealing a long-held secret once known only to Eastern European athletic trainers.
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, improves muscle tone, muscle strength, balance, reaction time and physical endurance, as well as immunity and general health. In addition, ideal levels of vitamin D help protect you from a staggering array of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, asthma, autism and even influenza.
|
more books... |
|
