UV Exposure Is Good For What Ails You

In “The Truth About The Recent IARC Report,” we said that a deficient/insufficient blood level of vitamin D (25-OH-D) plays a critical role in the development of more than 60 diseases and medical conditions. But why is vitamin D so critical for our health and wellbeing? Because every cell and organ in the human body requires an optimal level of vitamin D to function normally.

Let’s play the “What If” game for a moment: What if one of the large pharmaceutical companies announced that they had developed a new wonder drug that promised to reduce the incidence and mortality of more than 60 diseases and conditions? Needless to say, the stock price of the company would skyrocket and they would be hard-pressed to keep up with the demand for this product.

But, what if the company announced that, for every 500 deaths prevented by this new product, one person might die prematurely each year because of the adverse side effects of the product? Most likely, people would conclude that a benefit-to-risk ratio of 500 to 1 indicates the benefits exceed the risks.

And what if there was an alternative to the new drug that promised the same benefits but it was known to have toxicity problems if ingested in high doses and there had never been a long-term prospective study proving that the alternative is as good as the new drug? It’s quite possible that those two factors might influence people to opt for the wonder drug rather than the alternative.

OK, game over. Back to vitamin d—also known as ...

Mother Nature’s Wonder Drug

Individuals who maintain an optimal health blood level of vitamin D significantly reduce their risk of developing many diseases and conditions. And, recent studies show that individuals with the highest vitamin D blood levels dramatically reduce their risk of dying from any cause. We have long recommended maintaining a vitamin D blood level of 150 nmol/L (60 ng/mL) even when most vitamin D experts were only recommending 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL). Although we are pleased most experts are currently recommending our target level, new evidence leads us to believe that 150 nmol/L (60 ng/mL) should really be the minimum level for optimal health and that the new target level should be 175 – 200 nmol/L (70 – 80 ng/mL). (And, we predict that new target level will be universally adopted within the next five years.)

So, what is the average vitamin D level? A recent study indicates that the average vitamin D (25-OH-D) blood level worldwide is 54 nmol/L (21.5 ng/mL). Another study showed that―in sunlight-drenched southern Arizona―the average level was only 10 nmol/L higher at 64 nmol/L (25.6 ng/mL). Clearly, there is a huge gap between the level required for optimal health and the average level found around the world, even for individuals who live in sunlight-rich environments year-round.

What does the average vitamin D level tell us? The huge gap between the actual and recommended blood level of vitamin D tells us three things. First, it tells us that the recommendation for five to 15 minutes of sunlight exposure to your face and hands two or three times per week is woefully inadequate. Second, it tells us that either people are not taking daily vitamin D supplements or they are not taking a supplement with a dose high enough to raise their vitamin D to the optimal health level. Third, it tells us that the recommendation by the dermatology community to avoid UVR exposure and to slather on sunscreen every day of the year has taken a toll on the health of the public.

How can we get enough vitamin D? You cannot get enough vitamin D from the food you eat or the vitamin D-fortified milk you drink to reach an optimal health level. You must obtain the equivalent of approximately 3,000 IUs each day just to break even with the daily demand for vitamin D and 80 percent of this amount (2,400 IUs) must come from UVR stimulation. Therefore, the question that must be answered about UVR-induced vitamin D is not whether there is a need for vitamin D stimulated by UVR exposure but how to get the required UVR exposure. Also, it is very important to remember that there has never been a reported incidence of vitamin D toxicity from UVR stimulation—but there is a very real danger of toxicity if supplements are used. Here are the two options for UVR exposure:

• Uncontrolled ultraviolet radiation exposure. Although we can stimulate production of vitamin D through exposure to sunlight, this source is uncontrolled. By that, we mean there is no way for the average person to accurately determine a “safe” level of sunlight exposure to accomplish vitamin D synthesis without burning. In addition, sunlight is an unreliable source of vitamin D-effective energy because it varies by time of day, season of the year, weather conditions and geography. Similarly, there have been numerous studies indicating that vitamin D levels rise during the spring and summer, and decrease during the fall and winter—therefore, sunlight cannot be depended upon to stimulate an optimal health level of vitamin D year-round.
• Controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure. Professional indoor tanning salons utilize equipment in which the maximum allowable dose of UVR that can be delivered during a tanning session is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And, the conservative FDA-recommended exposure schedule has a built-in safety margin of 50 percent to help prevent overexposure. In addition, the skin type/subtype of each individual is measured prior to allowing the person to tan, so as to determine the initial session time that will avoid overexposure. The bottom line is that all critical variables are carefully controlled by a professional indoor tanning salon—that is why salons are the only year-round public source of controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure.

Where’s All the UVR and Vitamin D Research?

One of the questions that scientists conducting studies utilizing vitamin D supplements don’t want to ask is: What if, five to 10 years down the road, we find out that supplemental vitamin D doesn’t have the biological potency that UVR-induced vitamin D offers? Think about it—if the premise of these types of studies is that vitamin D has the ability to prevent a variety of diseases and conditions, wouldn’t it make sense to determine whether or not supplemental-induced vitamin D is as good as UVR-induced vitamin D?

We think so—which is why we asked a leading vitamin D scientist why he wasn’t including UVR-induced vitamin D in his studies at a recent meeting we attended. The answer was that, although such research would be a great idea, he “didn’t need the grief” that would come from dermatologists if he included UVR exposure in the protocol.

So there you have it. One vested-interest group―dermatologists―is hindering research comparing whether supplement-induced vitamin D has the same biological potency as UVR-induced vitamin D.

Here’s what is needed ASAP: an answer to the critical question of whether increasing the average vitamin D blood level of the American public to at least 150 nmol/L (60 ng/mL) via supplemental-induced vitamin D has the same biological potency as does reaching this level via UVR-induced vitamin D. Once that question has been answered, the required dose of the vitamin D supplement and/or the required time/frequency for UVR exposure can be determined.

A simple benefit versus risk ratio supports our position. Our data shows that 500 to 1,000 individuals die prematurely each year due to the adverse consequences of underexposure to UVR for every one individual who dies prematurely each year due to the adverse consequences of overexposure to UVR. And you don’t have to just take our word for it. A recent study, titled “Estimating the Global Disease Burden Due to Ultraviolet Radiation,” stated that the relative risk of underexposure to UVR was 3,000 times greater than the relative risk of overexposure to UVR. This new data indicates that our 500 – 1,000 to 1 ratio between the risks of underexposure and overexposure to UVR is actually too conservative—a 2,000 – 3,000 to 1 benefit versus risk ratio is more realistic.

What We Believe

Based on our decade-long, comprehensive study of vitamin D, we conclude that a combination of supplements and routine, controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure is the best way to maintain an optimal-health blood level of vitamin D year-round.

If every individual would take a 1,000 – 2,000 IU supplement each day and tan for at least 10 minutes per session (after building up a level of photoprotective facultative pigmentation, or tan, gradually) once or twice each week, the incidence of vitamin D insufficiency would be significantly reduced. In addition, this would dramatically improve the health status of millions of people. (Of course, individuals with darker skin or those who are older will require both a higher supplemental dose and more frequent tanning sessions in order to maintain an optimal health vitamin D level year-round.)

The bottom line is: Controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure is good for what ails you.

Patricia E. Reykdal and Donald L. Smith operate the Non-Ionizing Radiation Research Institute in Tucson, Ariz. They have written many articles promoting the benefits of controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure (CURE). You can e-mail comments or questions to reyksmith@aol.com.

Related Content:

The Truth About The Recent IARC Report