July is UV Safety Month.
We are learning more and more about the many health benefits of vitamin D, including those to lower the risk for some cancers.
Your skin makes vitamin D naturally when your are exposed to UV, whether from the sun or tanning bed. The amount of vitamin D you make depends on how strong the sunlight is where you live, your age and how dark your skin color is. We do not currently know what the optimal level of vitamin D is. Much research is exploring ways to determine this and to better define the health benefits of vitamin D.
Know that sunscreen does not negate your skin’s natural vitamin D production, although proper and judicious application of sunscreen may decrease it.
It is better to get vitamin D from your diet rather than unprotected sun exposure, because dietary sources (or vitamin supplements) DO NOT increase your risk of skin cancer. Dietary sources and vitamin D supplements are also typically more reliable ways to get the amount your body needs.
Click on the link below to see a partial list of foods that contain vitamin D:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/589256_3
“keeping you youthful for years to come”
