BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Relaxing in the bright sunshine does more than lift your spirits; it also stimulates your body to produce huge amounts of vitamin D, say U.S. experts.
Often called the "sunshine vitamin," vitamin D is not really a vitamin at all, but rather a versatile hormone produced by the body in response to sunlight.
When a person is exposed to the sun, a cascade of chemical reactions begins in the skin and converts vitamin D produced in the skin into the active form of vitamin D through further modification in the liver and kidneys, according to Roswell Park Cancer Institute researchers Dr. Donald Trump and Candace Johnson.
Researchers have known for a long time that vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium to build strong bones and teeth, but it also helps to strengthen the immune system and seems to protect against some types of cancers and as well as other diseases.
Some studies indicate that vitamin D may help prevent cancer of the breast, colon, ovaries and prostate. A recent report indicated those individuals with higher levels of vitamin D in the blood had as much as a 50 percent lower cancer risk of many types for cancer.
