In recent years awareness of vitamin D deficiency and resulting related conditions has increased dramatically. Canadians specifically are affected by this issue with estimates of more than 97% of Canadians being deficient at some point in the year. Vitamin D – long known only as the body’s catalyst for proper calcium absorption – is now known to play a key part in cell growth regulation in the body. The health ramifications appear to be enormous with a reduced risk of breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancer as well as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.

In Canada we are at risk for vitamin D deficiency because of the country’s relatively weak sunshine most of the year. In fact insufficient levels of UVB found in sunshine are essentially not available October through March. Vitamin D is rare in diet, occurring naturally only in fatty fish. A synthetic form of the vitamin is supplemented into milk.

Health Canada lists tanning beds as a source of vitamin D. The JCTA believes that, given controlled nature of the UVB emitted by indoor tanning equipment, tanning beds are the most effective source of vitamin D available to Canadians. Over 90% of all tanning beds in Canada emit sufficient UVB to optimize vitamin D production. The following graph published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition illustrates the consistent nature of vitamin D as produced through a tanning bed exposure resulting in 1 MED.
Serum vitamin D concentrations after a whole-body exposure to 1 minimal erythemal dose (MED) of simulated sunlight in a tanning bed and after a single oral dose of either 10 000 or 25 000 IU vitamin D2. UV, ultraviolet.

Not only are tanning beds an effective source of vitamin D, but they also work wonders for boosting your mood and picking up your spirits during the winter months that tend to be more overcast and provide us with fewer daylight hours.

Take advantage of the variety of tanning beds that we have available at BeachWalk Family Fitness.

Yours in health,

BeachWalk Family Fitness

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