“We try to get 15-20 minutes of un-sunblocked sun a day.”
In Ohio we do not get enough sun exposure, and the 14-20 minutes a day is still not enough to raise D to levels we need. D3 (like we get from the sun) is easy to supplement, and we should all supplement a minimum of 10,000 iu per day (my opinion, shared by medical doctors who are doing as much as 50,000 iu per day themselves).
D3 does boost immune response. D3 is preventative regarding colds and flu. Flu season is winter months - less D from sun exposure.
Dark skin absorbs even less of the sun’s rays that make D in the skin. Dark skinned people tend to be much more deficient than light skinned people.
We’ve long known that healthy Vitamin D levels are related to strong bones, but several recent peer-reviewed scientific studies have clearly shown that Vitamin D also decreases our risk of getting overweight and developing high blood presure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and other health problems.
Think twice before applying that sunscreen! Did you know vitamin D deficiency kills more than one million people each year? As more and more people slather on the sunscreen (which is most likely filled with harmful and toxic chemicals), they get less and less of nature’s “sunshine” vitamin, which is synthesized by the skin when exposed to direct sunlight. On the flip side, the risk of being harmed by the sun is minimal. Sufficient vitamin D levels can decrease a woman’s breast cancer risk by 50 percent, and suppress tumor growth in colorectal, breast and prostate cancer.
I’m in Ohio and I think we’re getting enough D. It’s not easy, but we go outside whenever we can! We use chemical-free sunblock. I don’t like the ingredients in the regular stuff. Our current fave is Burt’s Bees.