Northeast Ohio can be one of gloomiest places on the planet during winter, but the lack of sun is not just depressing, it’s unhealthy.
Sun on exposed skin naturally produces vitamin D, and our long, dark winters leave many people deficient, a condition that research has connected with heart disease, kidney disease, some cancers and autoimmune diseases.
Most researchers and physicians agree that we need more vitamin D. And because food is generally a poor source, most people turn to pills. But how much do we really need? And how do we know?
The answer depends on who you ask.
Most researchers feel the current recommendations are much too low and are calling for change.
“Everybody knows that 400 units doesn’t do anybody any good,” said Reinhold Vieth, a biochemist whose research at the University of Toronto focuses on the role vitamin D plays in osteoporosis and cancers of the breast and prostate.
“You can’t tell the difference between when people are taking 400 units or nothing, it’s such a tiny dose,” he said.
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Article courtesy cleveland.com
