The Sunshine Vitamin — Vitamin D

Hawaiian gifts

When you think of Hawaii, you probably think of sunshine. Did you know that you body actually needs Vitamin D to ensure a healthy immune system.

The challenge is that it's very hard to get naturally in food -- it mainly comes from sunshine. However, because recent years have seen a great deal of publicity concerning too much exposure to the sun's rays, people now dash for the shade, effectively leaving their immune system systems exposed.

Locals Mele Sandals

In order for the body's T cells to do their work of seeking out and destroying bacteria and viruses, they need to be triggered, and this is the role that Vitamin D plays in ensuring a healthy immune system. When the body detects bacteria or viruses, the T cells send out a Vitamin D receptor that searches for the vitamin in the body, and, if it is found, it transforms the normally inactive T cells into killer cells that fight the body's invaders. If there are no Vitamin D stores to draw on, however, the T cells remain inactive and the bacteria or virus is allowed to take over.

Fifteen minutes of sunlight per day is all that the body needs to take in adequate stores of Vitamin D, but it is also present in fatty fish such as herring, mackerel and salmon, as well as fish liver oil and eggs, and it can be taken as a dietary supplement.

So, as busy as you are, be sure to take time and keep healthy! Oh, and always share the Aloha Spirit! Mahalo!

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