Vitamin "D"eficient

In the days before SPFs and CDs, when the whole country was California Dreaming, on any bright, warm weekend across the country, you could spot bands of sun worshipers on lawns, rooftops and beaches, dressed in swimsuits, slathered in baby oil and armed with aluminum-foil-wrapped album covers. Their makeshift reflectors a sign that they were in serious pursuit of a "healthy tan."

Then came the 80s, and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) launched a media blitz warning of the dangers of the sun. Soaking up the rays would not only age your skin, it might also lead to skin cancer. The "healthy" tan was now deadly. Fast forward to 2009 and the AAD's message--abstain from unprotected sun exposure--has been so successful that we've become a vitamin D-deficient nation. 

According to a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 75 percent of Americans do not get enough of the sunshine vitamin. And that, it turns out, is much more hazardous to your health than unprotected sun exposure. A few years ago, researchers discovered that there are vitamin D receptors in every cell in the body and each week it seems another study points to its crucial role in maintaining good health. Inadequate levels of D can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a number of cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity, perhaps even cognitive decline.