“When you ingest vitamin D, only about 60 percent of it sticks to vitamin D-binding protein, but when you make vitamin D in your skin, 100 percent binds to the protein.” — Dr. Michael F. Holick, vitamin D research pioneer from the Boston University School of Medicine.

Holick’s quote, from his latest book, “The Vitamin D Solution”, points out that every cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor and that vitamin D derived from sun exposure to the skin works 40 percent better to activate the receptor than dietary vitamin D, which is scarce in comparison. Holick also refers to research showing that more than 1 million North Americans have conditions that prevent vitamin D absorption from supplements or diet — making it incredibly obvious that UV exposure to the skin is natural and intended.

Dermatology industry lobbyists have continued to downplay evidence showing that vitamin D does more than simply help the body process calcium for stronger bones. Holick, a professor of medicine at BU who was also an award-winning professor of dermatology at the school, was fired from the dermatology department in 2004 after he published a book titled, “The UV Advantage.” Dr. Barbara Gilchrest, then chair of the dermatology department, called his work “an embarrassment” and “schlock science.”

Almost everything in Holick’s 2004 book has since been validated by thousands of studies, as vitamin D research has been the hottest topic in medicine in the past three years. Gilchrest – who now serves as the editor of the Archives of Dermatology – has not rescinded her comment.