Sunny Side Of The Street Up here in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is long past, so the typical summertime advice to coat yourself with sunscreen, wear a ten gallon hat, and wrap yourself from ankles to eyebrows to avoid the sun's rays has been put on the back burner for a few months. In the meantime, a recent item in a major medical journal
provides an important reminder of just how important it is to
let some sunshine into your day - especially if you live way up
north. But even if you don't live in the extreme northern
latitudes, there's one vitamin supplement that's essential
during the darker winter months. As I've told you in several e-Alerts (most recently in "SPF 2"
10/8/03), the sun is not an enemy to our health. On the
contrary, sunlight exposure is essential to good health. The key is balance. Too much sun is just as unhealthy as too little. This concept is generally not embraced by the mainstream medical establishment, so it was refreshing to find confirmation of the health properties of sun exposure in a letter published in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The author of the letter is Professor Cedric F. Garland of the University of California. And his opinions about sun exposure come from his participation in more than two decades of research on this subject. Prof. Garland's letter is in response to an earlier editorial in
BMJ in which the authors advised avoiding sun exposure to reduce the incidence of cancer. But Prof. Garland says that a
recommendation of moderate exposure to the sun would be more prudent. He explains that "Solar exposure is the main source of vitamin D," and goes on to cite specific studies that demonstrate how vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of several cancers, including colon, breast, and prostate. He adds that the body can only store vitamin D for a few weeks, so those who live in northern latitudes would be helped by vitamin D supplements. And you don't have to be a polar explorer to find yourself
vitamin D deficient. Prof. Garland says that people living in
the UK are unable to synthesize vitamin D from November to
March. But the UK is pretty far north; parts of Scotland are on
the same latitude as Alaska. So what about those of us who live further south, but not so far south that palm trees grow outside our windows? In a study that appeared in the journal Cancer last year, the
lead author, Dr. William B. Grant, set out to determine an
association between premature deaths from cancer and
insufficient ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. Comparing UV-B data with cancer mortality rates in the U.S. between 1970 and 1994, Dr. Grant found a clear correlation between low UV-B radiation exposure and mortality due to 13 different types of cancer. These cancers include the cancers mentioned in Prof. Garland's research, as well as pancreatic, stomach, kidney, lung, and other cancers. More specifically, Dr. Grant found that the rates of these
cancers are almost twice as high among those who live in
northeastern states compared to residents of the southwest. He concludes that many lives could be saved by "increased careful exposure to solar UV-B radiation." He also recommends supplementation with vitamin D3 (vitamin D from fish liver oils), especially in late autumn and winter.
In the February 2002 issue of Nutrition and Healing newsletter, Dr. Jonathan Wright makes clear the profound importance of vitamin D: "Although the final proof isn't in (and probably won't be in our lifetimes), it's very likely that if you're over 40 and supplement your diet with a generous amount of vitamin D, you can lower your risk of prostate, breast, and bowel cancer along with your risk of 'essential' hypertension, osteoporosis, and tuberculosis. Young adults can lower their risk of multiple sclerosis as well." Dr. Wright recommends a daily vitamin D intake between 1600 and 2000 IUs - and as much as 4000 IUs for those over 40. According to Dr. Wright, it's impossible for most people to get enough vitamin D from the sun alone, and he discourages the use of dairy products because of the many other health concerns they raise. Instead, he suggests other food sources like salmon and sardines, or even good old-fashioned cod liver oil, which provides more than 1300 IUs of vitamin D per tablespoon. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute Sources: "Sun Avoidance Will Increase Incidence of Cancers Overall"
Professor Cedric F. Garland, British Medical Journal, vol. 327, 11/22/03, bmj.com "Lack of Vitamin D Threatens to Raise Cancer Risk"
NutraIngredients.com, 11/24/03, nutraingredientes.com "An Estimate of Premature Cancer Mortality in the U.S. due to Inadequate Doses of Solar Ultraviolet-B Radiation" Cancer, vol. 94, no. 6, 3/15/02, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov "Beyond Rickets: Vitamin D Shows Promise for Fighting Numerous Diseases… But in Doses Well Above the Recommendation of 'Authorities'" Dr. Jonathan Wright, Nutrition and Healing newsletter, February 2002, wrightnewsletter.com | 
