Winter and vitamin D (News-Medical-Net) As the days grow shorter, the sun's warm rays aren't the only thing your body may be missing, warns Creighton University researcher Joan Lappe, Ph.D. [News Source]

Zinc plays a key role in better aging. The path to healthy aging has plenty of signposts -- eat more fruits and vegetables for their antioxidants, get enough calcium for strong bones, have a few fish meals a week to protect the heart. Here's another signpost that may be less familiar: Make sure you consume enough zinc. [News Source]

How bay’s spill might cripple its sea life. The gooey "bunker oil" that gummed up San Francisco Bay and miles of coastline poses a more serious, long-term threat to marine life than the more common spills of crude oil, University of California, Davis, studies suggest. [News Source]

Laotians lament oil spill’s impact on fishing. The oil spill, which spread its goo on birds and beaches, has reached into the wallets of local Laotians, who number about 10,000 in this part of the Bay Area. [News Source]

Can a smoothie save the rainforest? Intensive cattle farming is decimating the Amazon rainforest, but there is hope - in the shape of a marble-sized, purple berry, staple ingredient of a popular smoothie. [News Source]

Worries about money and exam stresses are driving kids to drink. A government survey of more than 110,000 children found that a quarter of those aged 14 and 15 regularly got drunk and others took Class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine. [News Source]

Jews ban beef to save the world? One lifestyle change in particular can have far reaching effects: a shift to plant-based diets. [News Source]

Democratic candidates buff green credentials. A Los Angeles forum on global warming Saturday provided three presidential candidates time to throw around vows to cut carbon emissions, spur a green economy and renew American leadership in the world. [News Source]

Fruitful washing of produce for good health. We wash our produce under the tap, hoping any chemicals we think are on the surface will disappear down the drain, but some studies show that we should more worried about pathogens. [News Source]

Rising allergies trend mystifying. An explosion in numbers of children with serious food allergies has bewildered experts and parents. [News Source]

Why bother going green? What's the point in cutting our personal carbon footprint when more than a billion Chinese and plenty others are jacking up their emissions as if there were no tomorrow? Is going green worth all the bother? [News Source]