Vitamin D is important to your body for strong, healthy bones and teeth. Without Vitamin D your bones will become soft and brittle, which make you more prone to fractures. What you may not know is that Vitamin D plays a major role in cell growth, which is why it is considered to be an anti-cancer vitamin.

Vitamin D is referred to as the “Sunshine Vitamin” because your body produces it naturally when you go in the sun. Sunshine is the absolute best source of Vitamin D. The human body can produce enough Vitamin D from the sun to last a year. Because of this, doctors have begun recommending 10-15 minutes of sun exposure a few times a week to their patients that are Vitamin D deficient. The only catch, you can’t use sunscreen. Sunscreen blocks your body’s ability to produce Vitamin D. As long as you limit your time in the sun and don’t burn, doctors say that you’ll be ok without the sunscreen.

In addition to building strong and healthy bones, Research suggests that Vitamin D can actually help prevent and reverse certain types of cancer such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. New evidence supports that women who don’t get enough Vitamin D, whether through foods or sunlight exposure, are more susceptible to getting breast cancer. Although many foods are not rich in Vitamin D, fatty fish are. This may be why fish such as mackerel, herring, albacore tuna and salmon appear to have anti-cancer properties. Lack of Vitamin D in the body can cause Rickets in children and Osteomalacia in adults.

Before you make any changes to your lifestyle, you should get your Vitamin D levels checked. Too much Vitamin D can be toxic, so before you take it upon yourself to add more, see what your levels are first. If it is low, discuss with your doctor what your options are. Women over 40 should already be taking a calcium supplement.