Studies connecting subjects with low vitamin D levels with higher risk of flu and autoimmune disease are getting more attention this winter \u2013 including a large feature published Tuesday in The Toronto Star.<\/p>\n
\u201cVitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, has a well-established role in helping to maintain strong bones. It\u2019s 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,\u201d the Star reported. \u201cOur bodies make their own vitamin D when we expose the skin to the sun\u2019s UVB rays. But our long winters provide minimal sunshine and weak UVB rays, erasing the opportunity to synthesize this important vitamin for many months.\u201d<\/p>\n
The story continues, \u201cThe 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 \u2014 up to a third of the entire human genome \u2014 is affected by vitamin D.\u201d<\/p>\n
The story also quotes Canadian sunlight advocate Dr. Zoltan Rona, author of \u201cVitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin\u201d who recommends 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily \u2014 an amount naturally available only through sun exposure. As the Star wrote, \u201cIn fact, with so little sunshine in our winters, adults won\u2019t get much response from supplementation without taking at least 5,000 units a day, Rona says.\u201d<\/p>\n