Nearly three out of four tanning salon owners say the simple message that UVB is the best source of vitamin D will be a bigger part of their message in 2009, according to the results of a SmartTan.com poll conducted in October.

Only 9 percent of salons said vitamin D would be a smaller part of their message in 2009, while 18 percent say they’ll keep plugging UVB as the best source of vitamin D just as they did in 2008. The results are not scientific, but are strongly directional.

“It seems incredibly obvious, because UVB exposure is the body’s natural and intended way to make vitamin D,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “Research shows that people who tan have significantly higher vitamin D levels as compared to people who don’t tan.”

A tanning session makes 10,000 to 25,000 international units of vitamin D, which the body stores effectively, according to research. In comparison, an 8-ounce glass of whole milk contains just 100 international units of vitamin D. Fresh salmon — caught wild — is regarded as the most-abundant natural dietary source of vitamin D, but still contains less than 1,000 international units.

Smart Tan encourages salons simply to state that UVB makes vitamin D naturally and to do so in combination with their regular salon protocol, including standard client consent procedures which show consumers the risks of overexposure. “The tanning community today is doing the best job of putting messaging in a responsible context,” Levy said. “Since anti-sun lobbyists dwell only in overstating negative messaging about UV overexposure and have completely denied the positive effects to the point where they conspicuously confuse such anti-UV messaging with regular non-burning exposure, we can honestly say that our messaging is balanced and much more accurate.”

Professional tanning facilities should contact Smart Tan at 800-652-3269 or Smart Tan Canada at 866-795-3755 to learn more about Smart Tan’s programs to help you deliver the right message in your store in 2009.