Let The Light In! A Deep Dive Into Sunlight, Sun Protection and Vitamin D
Summer solstice is a potent time of year! It is when we can celebrate the fertility of the Earth as she brings forth fruit, flowers, veggies, and herbs. It marks the longest day of the year, with the most sunlight. Energetically, it is a time of heat and movement - a great time of the year to bring in abundance, get in action, and expand ourselves and different areas of our lives.
Since it is the halfway point of the calendar year, it is also a good time to take a step back and reflect on our progress. If you were with me during the Lunar New Year workshop, it would be a great time for you to reflect on what you created in your workshop, and how it’s going now.
In this time of sun and light, I want to talk to you about critical vitamin D, why I do not wear sunscreen and why I do go tanning in the winter.
When I had an inflammatory, nutrient-deficient diet for much of my teens and early 20s, I burned all the time. Then when I was 25, in my first year of ND school, I changed my eating habits to a strict paleo diet. That next summer I went back to Idaho for my last season of river guiding. I was out in the sun for 14 hours a day and I only needed to use sunscreen the first few weeks and only once a day. It was a radical shift from how I knew my skin to be before.
What I learned is sun burns are more likely when there is systemic inflammation. Reduce the inflammation in your body and you will burn WAY less easily no matter your complexion.
Sunscreen is actually full of toxic chemicals that WILL absorb through our skin and add to our toxic load and harm the liver. Despite the continuously increasing frequency of sunscreen use worldwide, the prevalence of certain sun exposure-related pathologies, mainly malignant melanoma, is also on the rise. Maybe sunscreen is not the only or best action to prevent skin cancer - read on for more on this!
My #1 sunscreen is SHADE! Follow up by a close second, clothing.
For my mental and immune health in the winter months I go therapeutically tanning in a regular, low cost, no frills UVB tanning bed and I tan for 7-10 mins once a week. I recommend my clients with any kind of Seasonal Depressive Disorder take on this practice for even 5 minutes a week after we have done the work to reduce their inflammation. I recommend starting EARLY before SAD sets in and see how you feel.
Read on for a deep dive into Vitamin D, sunlight, and sunscreen just in time for the summer solstice.
Here’s the thing… humans evolved OUTSIDE under the sun. Period.
Our natural biology is designed to be healthiest when we are outside ALL DAY LONG, day-in and day-out, our entire lives.
So why, then do we currently have a huge FEAR of being in the sun without sunscreen & why are we told we will get skin cancer if we don’t wear it?
Honestly, a lot of it is probably about selling sunscreen. Creating fear of sun exposure is a great way to sell a product, and this unfortunate misinformation has contributed to an even bigger issue for our health - vitamin D deficiency.
First thing’s first: vitamin D is actually not a vitamin at all, it’s a hormone. And it is a critical player in multiple systems optimal function from your bone density to your immunity. Low levels have been linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes and mood disorders such as depression.
Vitamin D deficiency is risk factor in many, trending towards all, of the most common types of cancer (breast, prostate, ovarian, colon and rectum, multiple myeloma, blood cancers, bone tumors) including skin cancer! Research shows daily vitamin D supplementation in cancer treatment can reduce mortality by as much as 12%.
Deficiency vs. Sufficiency
The medical standard for vitamin D deficiency is defined as under 20 ng/ml in blood (US units). But we must ask what is meant by medical deficiency? How is it determined? In the most basic terms, nutrient deficiencies were determined as the minimal required level to prevent severe illness, such as Ricketts with vitamin D which causes developmental bone deformities in infants and young children, or the level to prevent death from a nutrient such as scurvy and vitamin C.
As we have learned more and more about optimal physiology and added a wide range of chronic illnesses to our cultural concerns, medicine should no longer be limited to preventing death but optimizing health. However, we have not updated our minimal standards for nutrient levels, some in over a hundred years!
Sufficient vitamin D has now been elevated by standard medical practice to 30-50ng/ml, which is a vast improvement. However, what the research actually shows is what’s optimal for the prevention of illness and support of the highest functioning of the immune system is 60-80 ng/ml!
So get your levels check at your next physical!
Sources of Vitamin D
You only get about 10% of your body’s required vitamin D from food such as fatty fish, butter, and eggs.
The other 90% is made in the skin when 7-dehydrocholesterol is irradiated with ultraviolet B light (UV-B) to form vitamin D3, also known as Cholecalciferol. From there it travels to the liver and then kidneys to undergo two catalytic conversions to be fully activated.
As you can see, sunshine is critical for you to get sufficient natural vitamin D. Unfortunately, in today’s modern world it is near impossible to reach optimal levels without vitamin D supplementation, as very very few of us are actually living outside 12-months out of the year.
Vitamin D and People of Color
Vitamin D deficiency is rampant in people of color and they need up to 6x as much sunlight exposure as Caucasians to keep their vitamin D levels healthy.
People of color need more sun exposure as the melanin in their skin absorbs UVB radiation and acts as a natural sunscreen. In some individuals, their melanin can reduce the amount of UVB radiation available for the body to synthesize vitamin D by up to 99%.
For example, while people with lighter skin can produce more than 50 nmol/L of 25(OH)D after 30 minutes of sun exposure, people with darker skin may need more than two hours to reach the same level.
Benefits and Risks of Sun Exposure to Maintain Adequate Vitamin D Levels
First and foremost, take care of yourself in the heat and sun this summer by staying hydrated, and GET OUTSIDE IN THE SUNSHINE.
As a Naturopathic doctor, nearly all of my new clients are deficient in this crucial nutrient.
Daily supplementation of 2,000IU has become a gold standard in functional and natural medicine AND it is critically important to have your levels tested and consult with a healthcare provider for personalized advice.
Vitamin D can also be sourced from food but sunlight remains the most effective and natural way to boost your levels. Aim to spend a minimum of 30 minutes in the sun everyday, preferably between 10 AM and 3 PM, without sunscreen to maximize vitamin D synthesis.
Vitamin D modulates the immune system, reducing the risk of autoimmune disease. It also influences the expression of genes involved in cancer development, highlighting its preventative potential. Moreover, emerging research suggests that adequate vitamin D levels may enhance cognitive function and slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Embracing a lifestyle that includes mindful sun exposure and a diet comprised of whole foods, made from scratch, and cooked at home can offer profound benefits for your overall well-being.
Final Note on Supplementation:
Liquid vitamin D is often even more bioavailable, especially for people with GERD, gastritis, SIBO, gut inflammation GI issues, celiac, gluten sensitive or other digestive issues.
Vitamin K2 is critical to have with your vitamin D. Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption in the gut, ensuring that calcium levels in the blood are sufficient. However, without adequate vitamin K2, this increased calcium can be improperly deposited in the arteries and soft tissues rather than being directed to the bones where it's needed. While you may have heard you also get vitamin K from dark leafies like spinach, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts - that is mostly K1! K2 is found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, and natto (two different versions of fermented soy beans), egg yokes, and chicken, especially dark and organ meats (always more in free-range, pasture raised).
The recommended vitamin D to K2 ratio is 10:1. After testing blood levels I typically recommend 2,000IU vit D and 200mcg K2 in the late spring through summer then in the fall to increase to 5,000IU vit D and 500mcg K2 through the winter. Adjusting timing for northern climate or if you really cannot get outside enough take 5,000IU 8 months of the year.
Here is my Fullscript link for you where you can purchase vitamin D and natural sunscreens.