Want to run faster? Get outside -- vitamin D will help you speed up.

Photo: Chipmitten, Flickr

As someone who huffed and puffed her way around the track this morning for a sprint workout, I was very interested to learn about a new study pointing to vitamin D for improved running performance.

A recent article in The New York Times reported on the effects of vitamin D in two groups of runners from Russia and Germany. "In one of the studies, four Russian sprinters were doused with artificial, ultraviolet light. Another group wasn't. Both trained identically for the 100-meter dash." In the end, the control group improved its speed 1.7 percent, while the ultraviolet runners improved an impressive 7.4 percent. OK, now we're talking. A 7.4-percent improvement would knock nearly 18 minutes off a four-hour marathon. Anyone who runs long distances knows how brutal those final minutes can be. Cutting them out of the equation would be heavenly.

Another study reported that athletes who train outdoors year-round are fittest in August, when the sun's radiation is at its highest. In September, fitness levels begin to drop, corresponding to decreased levels of ultraviolet radiation.

To slim down for the beach, spend a little more time on it -- you need vitamin D to shed extra pounds.

Teenagers have this delightful tendency to favour the indoors -- you know, that whole sleeping all day, emerging only to talk on the phone, text friends or read celebrity gossip. Oh wait, that kind of sounds like my life. Ah, the life of a freelancer.

Anyway, teenage girls have a very good reason to venture outdoors on a regular basis because a new study shows that a lack of vitamin D (provided by the sun's rays) can stunt an adolescent girl's growth and -- worse yet, if you ask them -- cause weight gain. You can get vitamin D in supplement form, but why bother when you can get the same results from a few minutes of outdoor time every day.

That doesn't mean that you're off the hook if you're well past puberty. A lack of vitamin D in adults is even more serious, potentially leading to osteoporosis, cancer and other deadly diseases.

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It's a well-known fact that older women need calcium and vitamin D to fight bone loss. But it's also important that younger, active women get calcium and vitamin D to prevent stress fractures.

A recent study looked at more than 5,000 female U.S. Navy recruits and found that those who didn't take additional calcium and vitamin D were 25% more likely to suffer a stress fracture.

The authors of the study recommend that women take calcium and vitamin D supplements before starting any new exercise regime. But you can also opt to get your calcium and vitamin D naturally. Dairy products such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese are good sources of calcium, but there are other nutrition sources as well. Your best source of vitamin D is the sun; fish and vitamin D fortified foods (milk, orange juice, and cereals are often fortified with vitamin D) are also sources.

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Vitamin D is hard to come by through food alone. Bethany just briefed us on this issue, telling us how difficult it is for kids to get D in their diets. Adults need it too -- and right now, your best sources are salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, egg yolk, and D-fortified foods, like milk and some cereals. Not a lot of options. Be patient, though, and you'll soon be able to add a new food to this short list: The mushroom.

Mushrooms contain a compound a called ergosterol that gets converted to vitamin D when exposed to UVB light. Problem: Mushrooms typically grow in the dark. Solution: In order to cultivate the D, you've got to force the shrooms into the sun -- think tanning beds for mushrooms -- which is just what some folks are doing. Yep, a new technology is exposing mushrooms to high-intensity artificial UV rays, and it's packing quite a punch -- one three-ounce serving of this D-dosed food contains 100 percent of the recommended intake of vitamin D.

Be on the lookout for products by Sun Bella and Dole. They're the first to harness the power of the mighty mushroom.

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Bad news for those of you living in Seattle, England, or any other place where a rainy forecast is the norm: Rainy weather can make it harder for you to shed weight.

Researchers in Scotland say rain can make you fat because this type of weather causes your levels of vitamin D to dip, which affects a hormone associated with hunger. Makes sense -- however, I think it definitely has something to do with cravings, as in, you're more likely to crave comfort foods when the weather has you down. Plus, when you're cooped up inside, what else is there to do besides snuggle up to a good movie with a big bowl of popcorn and mug of hot cocoa?

Either way, the point is this: Bad weather is no excuse to give up your healthy habits. After all, the gym is open in all seasons. When a craving hits, head for the treadmill or fill up on something healthy.

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What kinds of foods are good sources for vitamin D? Let's see:

• salmon
• mackerel
• tuna
• sardines
• fortified milk
  

Except for milk, nothing on that list is typical kid-friendly fare, making it difficult for parents to help kids get enough vitamin D in their diet.

That job just got a little tougher. The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that kids get 400 units of vitamin D daily, twice the past recommendation of 200 units. The most efficient way to get vitamin D is by exposing skin to the sun, but with winter on its way, that's just not practical for parents in northern climates.

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Studies show that vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and some types of cancer.

When following a vegetarian diet, there are steps that can be taken to make this already healthy meal plan even healthier. Here are just a few of them:

• Incorporate lentils, beans, soybean products, nuts and seeds as protein sources
• Opt for whole grain products, such as whole wheat bread, rolled or steel cut oats, brown rice, and whole-grain cereals.
• If you don't consume any dairy products (which is the case with a Vegan diet), be sure to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet from fortified foods and soy-based products
• Be aware of how much sugar, salt, and fat are in foods that are easily assumed to be low in these three items
• If possible, purchase certified organic produce instead of fruits and vegetables that may have been sprayed with pesticides

Like I said, these are just a few tips. For all of you out there who have more tips like this to offer, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.

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But here's the kicker. In order to avoid a multi-vitamin and still get enough nutrition, you need to eat the right foods. For instance, iron should rarely be taken in pill form (especially by men), but iron is an important nutrient for kids and teens. You can make sure they get enough by feeding them foods like fortified breakfast cereals or black beans, but serve them with foods that are high in vitamin C (such as orange juice) to boost absorption.

Prevention has the scoop on other important nutrients, who needs them, and the best way to get them, whether in supplement form or through the foods you eat.

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Gaining weight at any age and stage of life boosts a woman's risk of developing breast cancer after menopause, says research from the National Cancer Institute. This may come as a surprise to some who think lifestyle plays no role in the development of cancer. But as many as 20% of cancer deaths are due to being overweight or obese. Clearly, weight does matter. If you're tipping the scales in a dangerous direction, then, you'd be wise to drop a few pounds in the name of cancer prevention.

Other lifestyle factors that deserve your attention are as follows.

Hormone Replacement Therapy. It slightly increases a woman's breast cancer risk, according to the large Women's Health Initiative. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends the smallest effective HRT dose for the shortest period of time.

Exercise. Women who exercise more than six hours a week cut their risk of invasive breast cancer by 23 percent. It's never to late to start. So lace up your athletic shoes today.

Alcohol. Even small amounts of alcohol spike breast cancer risk. Taking folic acid in addition to consuming alcohol helps, but cutting down on drinking is your best bet. An equivalent of one glass of wine per day is all you should drink. Less is better, if you can manage it.

Vitamin D. A supplement with at least 1,000 IU of the vitamin is recommended.

Five easy steps -- lose weight (OK, maybe this one's not so easy), limit HRT, exercise, cut down on drinking, and supplement with vitamin D -- and you'll be on your way to good breast health.

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Vitamin D is very unique in that it can be obtained not only from diet, but also from exposure to sunlight (which is kind of strange, then, that milk supposedly loses many of its nutrients if it is exposed to light, but I digress ... )

This is good news, since a report appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that 400 IU of vitamin D a day reduces a person's risk of premature death by as much as seven percent. This doesn't come as much of a surprise, though, considering that vitamin D consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of a number of diseases, one of which being cancer.

If, for some reason, getting a little bit of sunshine every day isn't a possibility, vitamin D can be found in abundance in dairy products and certain types of fish. So, if you can't get the recommended 15 minutes of daily face-time with el sol, following a D-rich diet will do you just fine.

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Wine and sunshine ... how does that sound for a prescription for health? Just right, say researchers from the University of Barcelona, who evaluated the effects of moderate consumption -- two glasses a day -- of red and white wine in 35 nonsmoking Spanish women with an average age of 38.

Researchers found that after a four-week period of regular wine consumption, the data showed an increased HDL ("good") cholesterol level in the women, demonstrating yet another mechanism by which both red and white wine help prevent heart disease. As for the sunshine part of the doctor's orders for health, higher levels of circulating vitamin D was associated with longer telomere length -- bioindicators for aging (and the longer the telomere, the lower levels of inflammation a person has), say researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

The full details of both studies can be found in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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Sometimes I worry about my bones. My grandma had osteoporosis, and my mom is taking measures to keep from falling prey to the same condition. Seems I should follow suit. Here's how I might bone up on staying strong, according to RemedyLife.com.

• Eat a diet rich in calcium and take a vitamin D supplement.
• Get at least 30 minutes of exercise, like walking and running, most days of the week.
• Engage in strength-training at least two days per week.
• Get a bone density screening at the time of menopause (or around age 50).
• Limit salt intake -- it causes the body to excrete calcium.
• Limit soft drinks.
• Don't smoke.
• Don't consume more than one or two alcoholic drinks per day.

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I didn't go outside once today, and I'm really disappointed about that. How dare I let a beautiful, sunny, summer day go by without at least getting a few minutes of sunshine on my face? It's not something that happens very often, but obligations kept me inside and out of the summertime sun.

Where I live, summer weather is a short-lived and precious thing, so normally we spend every second we can out in it. But in today's modern and comfortable world, it can be way too easy to just stay in, where there are no bugs and no need for sunscreen.

Not only is vitamin D important, but so are the mood lifting benefits of getting outside and enjoying what nature has to offer. If you find yourself hanging around indoors a little too often this summer, take a look at Real Simple's 7 ways to spend more time outside.

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