ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Even Forbes, a business magazine, is getting on the vitamin D bandwagon with an article about the importance of vitamin D that covers a new study promoting the connection between sunshine, UV-B rays and your overall health .

What I like about this latest study from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine is that the author, Dr. Adit Ginde, stresses that fortified food typically isn't sufficient enough when it comes to vitamin D. Too often, I think most people assume that because a food is fortified with vitamin D that they're fine, but the truth is there's just no substitute for sunshine and UV-B rays when it comes to your health.

In fact, according to Dr. Ginde and his co-authors, more than 75% of the U.S. population suffer from some form of vitamin D deficiency. The cause? According to the study, it's our society's hyper-awareness of sun exposure and subsequent overuse of sun block along with a trend towards spending less and less time outside. (Look, when people are telling you to put on a high-SPF sunscreen and big floppy hat just to get your mail, it's getting a little silly.)

The answer? Get some sunshine, it's good for your health.

But what if you can't get outside or, like me, you live in Indianapolis during the winter? Well, you can get those same UV-B rays through indoor tanning. Indoor tanning machines provide the same UV-B rays that the body uses to synthesize vitamin-D, meaning 10 minutes in a bed one to two times a week may be all you need.