D truth about the sunshine vitamin

We all consider vitamin D as the sunshine vitamin. But did you know that only a portion of the solar spectrum has this beneficial effect? That’s D truth and nothing but.

We gather some enlightening bits of information on this burning topic from Medical Hypotheses. Since before 1940 — when World War II broke out, feel-good movies like Gone with the Wind were breaking box-office records, and nylon stockings were all the rage — malignant melanoma has been increasing exponentially in indoor workers. Believe it or not, the reason could be indoor exposure to UVA radiation. Unlike UVB, which is blocked by glass, UVA can pass through windows. It can cause cancerous mutations and can also break down the vitamin D formed in your skin after outdoor UVB exposure. Vitamin D is a potent defense against melanoma (malignant tumor).

Hear this: New research shows that increased UVA exposures and inadequately maintained cutaneous levels of vitamin D promote melanoma.

Sunshine can decrease your vitamin D levels?

Of course, health activist Dr. Joseph Mercola has said time and again that the ideal way to obtain your vitamin D is from safe exposure to sunshine. “As it turns out, there is a major caveat, which affects nearly anyone living in a modern day civilization.”

But before that, Mercola gives a refreshing take on the connection between sun exposure, vitamin D3, and showering. Yes, showering or bathing with soap after exposing yourself to the sun.

Here are some fast hot facts from Dr. Mercola: Vitamin D3 is formed when your skin is exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun (or a safe tanning bed). When UVB strikes the surface of your skin, your skin converts a cholesterol derivative in your skin into vitamin D3. However, the vitamin D3 that is formed on the surface of your skin does not immediately penetrate into your bloodstream. It actually needs to be absorbed from the surface of your skin into your bloodstream.

So, how long does it take the vitamin D3 to be absorbed by your skin and reach your bloodstream?

Answer: Nope, not an hour or two. New evidence shows it takes up to 48 hours before you absorb the majority of the vitamin D that was generated by exposing your skin to the sun — yes, all of two days! Which means that if you want to optimize your vitamin D level, you shouldn’t wash with soap for two full days after sun exposure lest you rinse away the vitamin D.

But can you really live without a bath for two days?

According to Mercola, you can use soap underneath your arms and groin area. But you’ll just have to avoid soaping up the larger areas of your body that were exposed to the sun.

How exactly does sunshine lower your vitamin D levels?

First, you must know the difference between the two primary forms of ultraviolet radiation from the sun: UVA, and UVB. They have different wave lengths and impact your body in different ways. To make a long story short, because the UVA has a longer wavelength, it penetrates materials more easily, such as the earth’s atmosphere and window glass.

But D truth is, a lot of us shun the sun like the plague — we’d rather stay indoors, in the comforts of our air-conditioned office, home, or our friendly neighborhood mall. D point here is that window glass in your office, home or car, for instance, will effectively filter out the majority of the beneficial UVB radiation, but it minimally filters out UVAs, which destroy vitamin D. In addition to destroying vitamin D3, UVAs also increase oxidative stress.

Mercola zeroes in on UVA as one of the primary culprits behind skin cancer. It increases photo aging of the skin. It’s also what causes you to tan.

He notes, “Normally, of course, when you get tanned from outdoor sun exposure, you’re getting both UVA and UVB at the same time, so it’s not a problem. But when you are indoors and expose yourself to sunlight filtered through window glass, you are increasing your risk of a variety of conditions, primarily skin cancer, because the UVAs are effectively destroying your vitamin D3 levels while you’re getting none of the benefits from UVB.”

And did you know that vitamin D is good for your skin? Mercola relates an anecdote about a prominent doctor in southern Florida, now in his mid-60s, who upped his dose of vitamin D to 10,000 units and noticed that his photo-aged skin, which had been exposed to the elements from windsurfing, had cleared. Now, his skin is simply D-vine!  

So clearly, vitamin D can be very powerful against a number of skin problems, including skin cancer.

Now, that’s D-lightful news!

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A veggie a day keeps the wrinkles away

Looking for the fountain of youth? Search no more as it may be right under your nose — that is, in your kitchen.

According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, new findings suggest that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and unsaturated fats may ward off wrinkles by boosting the skin’s natural defenses against sun damage.

In a global study that delved into people’s eating patterns, from sun-kissed Australia to sun-shy Sweden, and skin aging, researchers found that dark- and fair-skinned people who ate a lot of wholesome foods but avoided sugary stuff were less prone to wrinkling.

Among the skin-smoothing foods are green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, and olive oil.

The researchers found that diet does play a big part in the wrinkling of sun-damaged skin, even when they factored in age and smoking, which contribute to premature skin.

The study authors speculate that certain foods offer skin protection due to their high levels of antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C, and E. They note that skin is a major target of oxidative stress.

Please pass the veggies.

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