A new study has created the situation where people have been rushing to the drugstore to get Vitamin D and benefit from it's cancer prevention.  There is more to Vitamin D than this and you might not have to run to the drugstore.

The body produces Vitamin D naturally when your skin is exposed to sunlight. According to reports I have seen, your epidermis can produce thousands of  vitamin D IU with just a half hour of exposure during the summer.

Due to Calgary's distance from the equator, we probably don't get enough Vit D during the winter. I became aware of this during the past year and have made it a habit this past winter, especially during chinooks, to try and get some sun time between 10 & 2 when the sun is at it's strongest.

Other benefits of vitamin D are bone strengthening and preserving muscle strength.

Naturally the trade off of getting your vitamin D from the sun is the potential for skin cancer, but getting a half hour is really not the same as excessive tanning. I will leave tanning booths for another day / article.

Bottom line is the sun can be our friend when used in moderation.