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So for those of us in the winter (like right now in NYC), what are we supposed to do for health, to protect against the diseases whose rates are increased by lack of sufficient sunlight?

If vitamin D supplements aren't the solution, are we supposed to get UV lamps for daily exposure at home after getting out of the shower? Totally serious question -- anyone got any ideas? I'm actually surprised the article didn't cover it.

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Vitamin D supplements do help your immune system, reducing respiratory tract infections, and seem to help with some autoimmune diseases. There have also been some positive findings regarding clinical depression, and improved bone health.

Currently there is no evidence that they help with cancer or cardiovascular disease, but that doesn't mean that someone who is deficient should not try to solve that deficiency with supplements.

Dosing the supplements is the difficult part, ingested Vitamin D absorption is different from person to person, and it's further complicated by variable sun exposure and skin production. 4000 IU per day should be a safe dose, but it's probably not enough with zero sun exposure during winter...

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