By Staff Writer - March, 19th 2014

New research suggests that having too little vitamin D, the so-called sunshine vitamin, can contribute to heart disease, falls and broken bones, breast cancer, prostate cancer, depression, and memory loss. Vitamin D is best known for building and maintaining healthy bones by helping the digestive system absorb calcium and phosphorus. But it does much, much more. Supplements are the simplest, safest way to get vitamin D. Getting 800 to 1,000 IU daily from supplements is a good goal. Ask your doctor to test your vitamin D level, and take a supplement if it is low.

By Dr. Mercola

Vitamin D research continues to impress upon us the importance of appropriate sun exposure as the ideal way to optimize your vitamin D levels.

Winter limits sun exposure for many up to six months of the year. During those times, your next best bet would be a safe tanning bed, as UV ray exposure also appears to have health benefits above and beyond the production of vitamin D.

A safe tanning bed sounds like an oxymoron to many, but one of the most damaging elements of tanning beds are the magnetic ballasts (which make that loud buzzing noise you hear in many tanning salons). If an electronic ballast is used, there are far less damaging EMFs, which provide most of the danger from tanning beds.

The benefits of UVB exposure from sun or a safe tanning bed include but are not limited to the production of nitric oxide—a compound that lowers …

Make sure to read the rest of the article at Articles.mercola.

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