Spending a few moments in the sun may get you a bit more than just a tan.

By spending no more than 15 minutes in the sun with arms and legs exposed your body will produce over 10,000 IU of necessary vitamin D.

The sun is the major natural source of vitamin D, since sunlight triggers vitamin D synthesis in the body.

Food sources are relatively few and include fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, and fortified dairy products and cereals.

Studies have found that this vital vitamin may help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in men.

After accounting for a range of factors — like age, weight, exercise levels and other diet habits, such as fat intake – Sun’s team found that men who got at least 600 IU of vitamin D from food and supplements had a 16 percent lower risk of heart attack and stroke compared to men who got less than 100 IU of vitamin D per day.

Vitamins are expensive and the research is out on whether or not they are as effective as we hope that they are.

Recent studies about the potency of some supplements and multivitamins is discouraging.

“While medications are closely overseen by the federal Food and Drug Administration, supplements like vitamins don’t get regular testing by any government agency. So there’s no way of knowing — outside of independent testing — whether a bottle of supplements contains what it’s supposed to … Although low levels of certain nutrients can be a problem, doses that exceed recommendations are especially worrisome. Several products evaluated … including some designed for children, had this issue.”