In this video, Dr. Mercola interviews Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., internationally recognized research scientist and vitamin D expert, reveals the important role vitamin D plays in your health.

Dr. Grant, whose background is in atmospheric sciences, has applied the ecologic approach to the study of dietary and environmental links to chronic disease. He has worked at the level of senior research scientist at such notable institutions as SRI International, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the NASA Langley Research Center.

More recently, Dr. Grant has uncovered exciting potential for the use of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of a number of high-incidence cancers found in Western populations. He is the director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC), an entity devoted to research, education, and advocacy relating to the prevention of chronic disease through changes in diet and lifestyle.

Dr. Grant has also authored or coauthored over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals, edited two books of reprints, and contributed half a dozen chapters to other books.

New research shows that to get an optimal vitamin D supplement from the sun at a minimal risk of getting cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), the best time of sun exposure is noon.

That means that common health recommendations given by authorities in many countries — that sun exposure should be avoided for three to five hours around noon and postponed to the afternoon — could be wrong and may even promote CMM.

This is in part because the action spectrum for CMM is likely to be centered at longer wavelengths than that of vitamin D generation.

Source: Advanced Experiments in Medical Biology

By Robert Jay Rowen, MD

Most people worry that getting too much sun can cause vision problems. But now there’s evidence that not getting enough sun can make you go blind.

In a new study, researchers followed 7,752 subjects. Of those, 11% had macular degeneration. The researchers found that those in the highest quintile of serum vitamin D levels had the best protection. In fact, they had a 36% lower risk of developing the eye disease.

The researchers also looked at milk to see if it protected the eyes. They found that it did not help at all. In fact, supplemental vitamin D actually worked a bit better in the people who didn’t consume milk. The reason? Milk companies typically use an inferior form of vitamin D (synthetic vitamin D2) to fortify milk.

I talk to hundreds of doctors every year. Most are in full agreement with me that we’re witnessing an epidemic of insufficient vitamin D levels in our population. I find deficient levels in the vast majority of people I check. Even Terri and I were low in late winter.

That’s why I take 5,000 IU daily of vitamin D. It quickly improved my levels. If you’re taking vitamin D for a deficiency, please get a recheck. Many people need more than what we consider a generous dose. Some people need as much as 10,000 IU daily.

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