It used to be vitamin C that was the cure all vitamin. But it seems nowadays that every time I turn around I hear another story about the superpowers of Vitamin D. Low vitamin D levels has been linked to everything from diabetes to cancer, and a lot of us have low vitamin D levels.  About 41 percent of men and 53 percent of women in the United States have levels of vitamin D that are considered too low. 

Currently, the daily recommended intake is 200 IU for people up to 50 years old, 400 IU for people 51 to 70 years old and 600 IU for people over 70 years old. However, in a recent paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, UC Riverside biochemist Anthony Norman recommends an average daily intake of at least 2000 IU for all adults. [Vitamin D a key player in overall health (UC Newsroom)]

Vitamin D has long been known to contribute to bone health, but Norman's study identifies 36 organs that a deficiency in vitamin D impacts.

Norman identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. In addition, access to adequate amounts of vitamin D is believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer. Norman lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to vitamin D. The list includes bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and the uterus. Already, vitamin D deficiency is associated with muscle strength decrease, high risk for falls, and increased risk for colorectal, prostate and breast and other major cancers. [Vitamin D a key player in overall health (UC Newsroom)]

Your doctor can test you for vitamin D deficiency, which is most important for those who live in parts of the world with less sunshine. African Americans are also more impacted because the dark skin allows less UV light to get through, which causes less vitamin D production.

As our lifestyle changes and we become increasingly wary of the sun, our vitamin D production declines dramatically. While the dangers of the sun (both causing skin cancer and wrinkles) are real, balancing the necessity of letting our bodies produce enough vitamin D naturally is a must. Dr. Michael Holick recommends filling up on antioxidants to protect from the bad effects of sunlight. This way, you can have your sun and bathe in it too.