To understand what is healthy for you, it’s often worth asking yourself: “What is my body designed for?”
Through the course of human history, our bodies have acquired Vitamin D from one major source – our skin. Foods that naturally contain this essential vitamin are rare and don’t provide enough. Our skin uses sunlight to produce much higher levels than we can get from our diets. Because our bodies aren’t geared towards high amounts of Vitamin D in our diets, taking an oral supplement has some drawbacks. For one, a high oral dose of Vitamin D can spike blood calcium levels, which can increase the chances of cholesterol deposits and the risk of stroke or heart attack that follow. This doesn’t mean that oral supplements aren’t helpful or that they’re always dangerous, it just means we shouldn’t take very high oral doses (1000 I.U. and below daily is safe).
Skin, as the natural factory for Vitamin D in our bodies, delivers Vitamin D in a controlled and safe way into our bloodstreams. Skin also doesn’t get the Vitamin D it needs from the bloodstream – it relies on the Vitamin D it makes itself. So, oral supplements can’t give our skin healthy levels of Vitamin D.
Sunlight also has benefits that extend beyond just Vitamin D. Studies show clearly that safe sun exposure has many benefits for our health and happiness. For healthy levels of Vitamin D in your skin and the rest of your body, get safe and frequent sessions in the sun. And always remember – don’t burn.
