Today’s article is brought to you by the letter D
Courtesy Leo Reynolds
Hard to do this time of year. And lots of people shun the sun to avoid skin cancer. But science now says sun avoidance is bad for you. It can lead to vitamin D deficiency.

Your skin produced vitamin D naturally when it is struck by sunlight. Too little vitamin D can lead to some nasty diseases, such as rickets, a softening or weakening of the bones.

Vitamin D has been in the news a lot lately. Canadian researchers have found that non-whites are especially prone to vitamin D deficiency. (Dark skin evolved in sunny areas as a way to keep the body from producing too much vitamin D, which also causes problems. When dark-skinned people move to less sunny areas, their anti-sun defense actually starts to work against them.)

A doctor in Buffalo, NY has linked low levels of vitamin D to high incidence of cancer.

Doctors at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington note that a lack of milk and sunshine is leading to is preventing children from developing strong, healthy bones.

A study at King's College in London suggests that vitamin D may slow aging.

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