Studies connecting subjects with low vitamin D levels with higher risk of flu and autoimmune disease are getting more attention this winter – including a large feature published Tuesday in The Toronto Star.

“Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, has a well-established role in helping to maintain strong bones. It’s now under the microscope for role it plays, when in short supply, in a range of illnesses, from heart disease to cancer, to autoimmune disorders and infections, including influenza,” the Star reported. “Our bodies make their own vitamin D when we expose the skin to the sun’s UVB rays. But our long winters provide minimal sunshine and weak UVB rays, erasing the opportunity to synthesize this important vitamin for many months.”

The story continues, “The U.S. Endocrine Society stresses the importance of vitamin D in maintaining health. It points out nearly every cell in the human body interacts with the vitamin, and that the activity of many genes — up to a third of the entire human genome — is affected by vitamin D.”

The story also quotes Canadian sunlight advocate Dr. Zoltan Rona, author of “Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin” who recommends 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily — an amount naturally available only through sun exposure. As the Star wrote, “In fact, with so little sunshine in our winters, adults won’t get much response from supplementation without taking at least 5,000 units a day, Rona says.”

To read the Star’s story click here.