Maybe you already know that vitamin D can help build strong teeth and bones, but wait until you hear what can be done for the rest of the body. D can keep you trim, improve your mood, defend sniffles, drastically reducing the risk of developing cancer, and more.

“You could prevent 150,000 cases of cancer per year, if they can only increase vitamin D to optimal levels,” says Cedric Garland, a medical, public health, is a leading vitamin D researcher and professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

This is great news, right? Yes, except for one huge problem: Nagel The report concludes that over a third of all women, not getting enough D for healthy bones and more than 75% of us do not have the highest amount that is required for vitamin in his illness, fighting the best.

Downing a glass of milk a day is a smart way to get more D. But the main source is the sun, and she is in trouble, where is located. Our body produces D from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, but more intelligent about how we escape from skin cancer, which is out of the sun and slathering themselves mega-SPF sunblock, our vitamin D have plummeted. Fortunately, smart and safe way to increase your intake while you enjoy all the benefits that vitamin D may provide.

Lower risk of cancer
Vitamin D may reduce risk of breast, colon, prostate and ovary, according to a growing body of research. Indeed, Dr. Garland noted that women with a D in the blood, which was more than twice the current national average of 25 nanograms per milliliter (ng / ml) was 50% lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest level in the blood. Scientists believe that the D helps regulate the genes in a way that protects healthy cells and stop the growth of types of cancer.

There are receptors for vitamin D in almost all cells, and “feed” you must have the blood levels of vitamin. Not only depends on how much time you spend abroad, what you eat, but also on where you live. People living in higher latitudes, for example, absorb less UVB rays from November to March, which means they are more likely to have low blood levels of vitamin D and increased risk of cancer. Indeed, studies show that the two died of cancer of the colon and 50% of cancer deaths in the far north, compared with the brightest South Dr. Garland said. So how much is enough Sunday (link) to reduce the risk of cancer without upping the risk of skin damage?