The editor of the Harvard Health Letter told readers that he gets much of his “sunshine vitamin” the old-fashioned and natural way: By going into the sun and taking a walk. “Being of sound mind and body, and responsible for my actions only, I also get my vitamin D the old-fashioned way. It’s a sunny afternoon, and I’m going out for a walk,” P.J. Skerrett wrote in the Harvard Heart Letter.

Skerrett’s comments come on the heels of a Forum at the Harvard School of Public Health titled, “Boosting Vitamin D: Not Enough or Too Much?” which included several vitamin D experts.

“Some background: Vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin. It’s a hormone. The body makes it when sunlight strikes the skin,” Skerrett wrote. “This converts a cousin of cholesterol into a substance that ultimately becomes vitamin D. It is best known for helping the digestive system absorb calcium and phosphorus, so it is important for bone health. New research suggests—emphasis on suggests—that vitamin D may also be involved with regulating blood pressure, fighting cancer, and improving the immune system.”

Frankly, we’re wondering why so many continue to write “suggests” on vitamin D research, given the thousands of studies and dozens of random-control trials on the topic. “Dermatology continues to marginalize vitamin D research in the press—using terms like “suggestive” to a body of work that is now orders of magnitude greater than data on sunlight’s complex relationship with sunlight,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “Still, it’s encouraging that he at least sees vitamin D for what it is: Something naturally derived from sun exposure.”

To read Skerrett’s column click here.