Most Americans don't get enough D because we're indoors most of the time, and when we're outdoors, we're wearing sunscreen. We recommend getting 800 international units a day if you're younger than 60 and 1,000 international units if you're over 60.

Learn more on Oprah.com. 

First of all, don't give up! "Don't let anyone tell you that it's all over by 20. That's just silly," Dr. Northrup says. "We know that women build bone mass throughout their entire lives."

Find out how on Oprah.com. 

CARMEL, Ind. -- Lisa Eppen has finally beaten the winter blues, a condition doctors call seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

Find out how

Ever present in the struggle to inform America about the benefits of moderate UV exposure, the UV Foundation has released their own press release about Vitamin D Deficiency Month (February).

Read the Press Release 

While the exact role this sunshine vitamin plays is still being established, experts believe it is time to educate the masses about its significance and take steps to increase its levels in the blood.

Vitamin D's historic claim to fame has been its role in building and maintaining strong bones and teeth by regulating calcium levels.

But to their surprise, scientists in recent years discovered that vitamin D appears to play an underappreciated role in preventing just about every major disease afflicting Western societies, from cancer and cardiovascular disease to multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.

If you’re not getting enough vitamin D, your heart could be at risk, a new study from the journal Circulation suggests. Vitamin D deficiency is already linked to an increased risk of bone fractures, but this new study shows that people lacking this vitamin could be at risk of hurting their hearts as well.

Long considered the bad boy of cancer, sunlight is experiencing a reputation reversal with more evidence published this month showing it can actually be a cancer fighter and protect against heart disease.

Now a single theory answers the many unanswered questions surrounding autism. A theory that implies a simple prevention and raises the possibility of treatment. It's called the Vitamin D Theory of Autism—read about it in our new section, Autism and Vitamin D.

Find more information about this and many other Vitamin D related topics at The Vitamin D Council.

A study of more than 2,000 women has found those with higher vitamin D levels showed fewer aging-related changes in their DNA, as well as lowered inflammatory responses.

In a recent news segment, MSNBC reported on the new movement toward the benefits of sunlight. After years of scaring people into thinking sunlight was bad for us, doctors are now open to the idea that moderate exposure to sunlight may actually reduce cancer risks.

Click here to watch

If vitamin D3 levels among populations worldwide were increased, 600,000 cases of breast and colorectal cancers could be prevented each year.

Several studies looked at the relationship between vitamin D and cancer and showed that people with high levels of vitamin D had up to a 50% decreased risk of developing certain types of cancer.

Exposure to sunlight can also produce vitamin D

The body uses vitamin D to absorb calcium in bones. Without enough vitamin D, the body doesn't know how to use the calcium correctly, and bones become weak and are more prone to fractures.

Relatively brief exposure to sunshine or its equivalent several times a week can help to ward off a host of chronic and sometimes deadly diseases, including osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, depression and cancers of the colon, prostate and breast.
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Vitamin D is made in the skin on exposure to solar radiation, and it is necessary to optimal skeletal health.
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The vitamin is D, nicknamed the "sunshine vitamin" because the skin makes it from ultraviolet rays.
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And no, just drinking more vitamin-D fortified milk or juice may not make up the deficit, many experts say, although it can help. Spending 10 to 15 minutes in the sun, done with proper care, might.
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by Mike Adams

Fifteen facts you probably never knew about vitamin D and sunlight exposure.
(Compiled by Mike Adams, based on an interview with Dr. Michael Holick, author, The UV Advantage)
Vitamin D myths, facts and statistics (NewsTarget.com)

Sunlight and vitamin D lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
SOLARPOWER for Optimal Health! (http://www.sunarc.org/solarpower.htm)