Curiously Awesome

Getting more sun may help your body fight disease. Researchers found that the immune cells responsible for destroying pathogens (T cells) cannot work properly if the body’s vitamin D levels are too low.

Vitamin D is naturally produced by the body when you get exposure to sunlight. Using sunscreen and lessening time outdoors has contributed to common vitamin D deficiencies. Vitamin D is present in some foods such as eggs, fatty fish and fortified milk, it is difficult to get high enough levels from food sources.

Only 15 minutes of sun on the face and hands every day will give a light-skinned person enough vitamin D. Darker skinned people need two to three times as much sun.

The body stops producing vitamin D when levels get high enough, making it impossible to get too much vitamin D from sunlight.

Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and it has also been implicated in fighting diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis.