Vitamin D

At my semi-annual appointment last week, my endocrinologist said that more and more research is showing the vital role of Vitamin D, so she was going to check my level of that, along with my thyroid level. She called today to say that I was very low and she's prescribing a megadose for a few weeks and then I should take an over-the-counter supplement. Further reading, like this article from WebMD, and this one from NIH, reveals that adequate Vitamin D helps prevent colon cancer (the one that Celiacs are at greater risk for!) as well as osteoporosis. I'm on board, and super grateful to my doc for checking on this! Side note: best source by far is cod liver oil. And, yes, if you were wondering, this makes me feel OLD!

WebMD: Scientists have known for some time about vitamin D's role in helping the body absorb calcium, in maintaining bone density, and in preventing osteoporosis. But new research suggests it may also help protect against chronic diseases such as cancer, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune diseases.

NIH: Strong biological and mechanistic bases indicate that vitamin D plays a role in the prevention of colon, prostate, and breast cancers. Emerging epidemiologic data suggest that vitamin D has a protective effect against colon cancer, but the data are not as strong for a protective effect against prostate and breast cancer, and are variable for cancers at other sites.

Sun exposure
Most people meet their vitamin D needs through exposure to sunlight [6,27]. Ultraviolet (UV) B radiation with a wavelength of 290-315 nanometers penetrates uncovered skin and converts cutaneous 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3, which in turn becomes vitamin D3 [11,27-28]. Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, skin melanin content, and sunscreen are among the factors that affect UV radiation exposure and vitamin D synthesis [28]. The UV energy above 42 degrees north latitude (a line approximately between the northern border of California and Boston) is insufficient for cutaneous vitamin D synthesis from November through February [6]; in far northern latitudes, this reduced intensity lasts for up to 6 months.