Let's face it, for decades now, our sun has been demonized. The message from the medical community has been avoid direct exposure and cover up with sunscreen. I remember the anti-sun campaign by the American Cancer Society: "Fry Now. Pay Later." Well now, the Washington Post had an interesting story about the 'sunscreen cover-up' and how too little sun is causing other forms of cancer. On one hand, we have been told that the sun's ultraviolet radiation is a carcinogen. Now, we're being told that the anti-sun message was way over done and exaggerated by well-meaning health authorities.

The new research shows that we all need vitamin D, and the sun is the best and only reliable way to get it, outside of a daily supplement. Sunscreen blocks out 97 percent of vitamin D with only SPF-30. So, here we go, the sun is now NOT our enemy and that it's safe to step back outside - and, please, go very light on the sunscreen. Lack of vitamin D is associated with increased risk for Type 1 and 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, colon and breast cancer, influenza and tuberculosis. According to the USDA, British researchers have found children with vitamin D deficiency has more than tripled in the past four years.

Bottom line, according to the USDA: we simply aren't getting enough vitamin D. The USDA's 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee placed vitamin D on its list of under consumed nutrients and it also now identified vitamin D deficiency as a public health threat. So, too little sun is just as bad as too much sun. Too much sun runs the risk of skin cancer, but too little sun dramatically raises the risk for other cancers. Will this new information change the way you've been taught?

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