As I have been saying for years now, vitamin D is an extremely important nutrient and you must optimize your levels if you want optimal health. Unfortunately, many Americans do not get enough vitamin D, largely because of experts' recommendations to avoid all sun exposure. Now, in a much-needed turn of events, increasing numbers of scientists are agreeing that many Americans, particularly African Americans, may be suffering from unrecognized deficiencies of vitamin D, which increase the risk of bone and muscle problems and perhaps a host of other diseases including:
- Many forms of cancer
- High blood pressure
- Depression
- Multiple sclerosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Diabetes
In response, many scientists have begun pushing to sharply boost the official recommendations for how much vitamin D everyone should get daily, either by taking supplements, by eating more food that contains the nutrient or from the sun--a major source of vitamin D. With people spending more time indoors, covering up and slathering on sunblock when they are outside, and smog obscuring the sun on many days, the amount of vitamin D people create naturally is probably very low.
Washington Post May 21, 2004