Sunlight is a crucial part of building your immune system!The UVB rays from sunlight are used by your body to convert cholesterol (fat) into Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D is known to help boost your immunity via your B cells and T cells, and it also modulates both your innate and acquired immune systems. That is one of the reasons why you get sick more easily during the late fall and winter – you are not getting as much sunlight, so you are not getting as much vitamin D so your immune system is not as strong as it could be!
During the summer months, if you can expose your hands, face, and arms on a clear, sunny day for 10-15 minutes several times per week, you should be able to made an adequate amount of vitamin D. (It can depend on your health status!)During the fall and winter, you may find it helpful to supplement with a high quality vitamin D3 supplement to ensure you have enough for your immune system (and the rest of your body!). Standard Process’s Cataplex D is a whole food source of vitamin D3, which means it is more absorbable than other comparable supplements on the market.
Beware of vitamin D2, also known as ergocalciferol. It is a synthetic form of vitamin D created by fungi in a lab, and it is often used in low quality (i.e., cheap) supplements and is used to fortify many food products, like milk. The chemical differences between D2 and D3 mean that D2 can build up excessively in your body to create a toxicity – hypercalcemia, aka, too much calcium. Too much calcium can lead to deposition of calcium into your tissues (basically creating stones, like kidney stones) and can calcify (harden) organs and tissues like your arteries (also known as heart disease).
It is also critical to have enough fat in your diet to ensure that vitamin D and calcium do their jobs properly. Fats, specifically PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) are essential fatty acids, meaning that you must consume them – your body does not create them. You may know them better as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-3’s are fatty acids that are known as the “good” fats. Typically they are found in fish, flax seed oil, wheat germ oil, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. Omega-3’s are anti-inflammatory, so they can help with a wide range of inflammatory diseases and disorders. Omega-3’s help reduce triglycerides, slow the build of up plaque in your arteries, slightly lower your blood pressure, and reduce the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat. They have also been found to be great for brain and eye health! (Doc thinks that just about everyone could benefit from taking a high quality omega-3 supplement.)
Omega-6’s are more complicated – they can be “good” and “bad.” The “good” omega-6’s are anti-inflammatory, such as black currant seed oil, evening primrose oil, and borage oil. “Bad” ones are PRO-inflammatory, such as canola oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, and other low quality oils. The “good” omega-6’s can help control your blood sugar, reduce your risk for diabetes, and lower your blood pressure.
But the key is balance! You want your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio to be 1:3-5. Most Americans are closer 1:40+! (It means your body is inflammd, and inflammation is linked to pretty much every single chronic health condition.)
Once you have vitamin D3 and your healthy fats, now you can balance your calcium. Vitamin D3 pulls calcium out of your digestive track and puts it in your blood, then the fats take the calcium in you blood and put it away in your tissues (like your bones, muscles, etc.). So if you have ever taken a calcium supplement and/or a vitamin D supplement, but not a fat supplement, you may have developed muscle cramps – this is why!
This balance of vitamin D3, calcium, and healthy fats is critical for your body to function properly. Being too low in healthy fats can lead to a lot of problems, especially if you are exposed to a lot of sunlight because it boosts your vitamin D3, which can lead to a buildup of calcium in your blood. This can cause hardening of your arteries (heart disease), not to mention your skin may thicken to “protect” you from “too much vitamin D3” production. And if you get too much calcium build up, you could end up with “sun” or “heat” hives or sunstroke. In the long term, you can be at a higher risk of skin cancer.
So what’s the solution? Eat more fat and get some sunlight!
What about sunscreen, you ask? Great question! We recommend a mineral based one because they can help protect you from sun rays without side effects. Chemical sunscreens, especially oxybenzone, can cause health issues, like messing with hormones and allergic reactions.
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