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The Sunshine Vitamin
ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH?
AS MANY AS
75 percent
of Americans
may not
be getting
SIDEBAR SOURCE: MICHAEL F. HOLICK, PH. D., M. D., THE VI TAMIN D, SKIN, AND BONE RESEARCH LABORATOR Y, BOSTON UNIVERSI T Y MEDICAL
CENTER, BOSTON; PHOTO: JEFF HARRIS; STYLIST: ALISON SCHERR FOR MARK EDWARD INC.; ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS LYONS
enough vitamin D for opti-
mal health, according to a
new report in the Archives
of Internal Medicine. Doc-
tors have known for years
that vitamin D is good for
bones, but now researchers
are finding that vitamin D—
often called the sunshine
vitamin because your body
produces it when exposed
to the sun—may help ward
off a whole host of illnesses,
including cancer and heart
disease. A team of Harvard
scientists recently discov-
ered that among 18,000
men they’ve been track-
ing since 1993, those with
the highest blood levels of
vitamin D were the
least likely to have
heart attacks, while
those with the lowest
levels had the highest
risk. Other studies have
found that increasing
vitamin D intake reduces
the risk of colorectal cancer,
hip fractures, and tooth loss
and significantly increases
muscle strength.
minutes of sun exposure
a few times a week. Those
who don’t go out much
should consider a 1,000-IU
(international units) vitamin D supplement daily.
—Colleen Pierre, R. D.
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30 SERVINGS OF ORTIFIED CEREAL 150 EGGYOLKS
30 CUPS OF ORTIFIED ORANGE JUICE
6½ POUNDS OF SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS 3ƒ POUNDS OF RESH FARMED SALMON
2‹ POUNDS OF SARDINES
THE SUN OUTSHINES FOOD AS YOUR BEST SOURCE OF VITAMIN D
To get the vitamin D
value of ten minutes’
exposure to sunlight,
you’d have to eat...
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or or or or or
