Vitamin D - The Sunshine VitaminVitamin D- Did You Know...?

 

Vitamin D is essential for good health.

 

Medical studies around the world have proven the benefits of Vitamin D in association with:

 

• Cellular Health: including breast, colon and prostate cancers

• Bone Health: including osteoporosis, hip fractures, osteomalacia and hip fractures

• Organ Health: including high blood pressure, hypertension and heart disease

• Mental Health: including SAD, PMS, depression and general mood

• Auto-immune Diseases: including multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis

• Skin Disorders: including psoriasis

• Obesity and exercise programmes

 

Sunlight is the most effective way for the body to manufacture Vitamin D. Yet in the UK, our bodies can only manufacture Vitamin D from exposure to the sun during the months of May to October. Outside of these months, the sun is simply not strong enough.

 

Considered by many to be the foremost authority on vitamin D, Dr Michael Holick (Professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine, one of the USA's top universities), recommends a daily amount of 1,000 IU is necessary to maintain a healthy level. It is very difficult to eat enough Vitamin D rich foods on a daily basis to achieve these levels. Most multi-vitamin supplements only provide 400IU of Vitamin D.

 

Unprotected UV exposure to 25% of 1 MED, 2-3 times a week is recommended by Dr Holick to ensure sufficient Vitamin D levels. Depending on skin type, this is the equivalent of about 5 minutes of unprotected UV exposure 2-3 times a week.

 

In natural sunlight the word 'unprotected' is very important, as SPF creams reduce the effectiveness of the body to produce Vitamin D from UV exposure by up to 97%.

 

MYTH: UNPROTECTED SUN EXPOSURE IS UNHEALTHY

TRUTH: Although precautions do need to be taken, regular, moderate amounts of unprotected UV exposure are absolutely necessary for good health. Independent scientific research has shown that whether you live in a sunny or not-so-sunny climate, but expose yourself to sun, then your subsequent increased production of vitamin D will help lower the risk of a host of debilitating and fatal diseases including colon, breast, prostate and ovarian cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and depression.

 

MYTH: YOU CAN GET THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF VITAMIN D THAT YOU NEED FROM DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS ALONE

TRUTH: Since most multivitamins only contain 400 IU of vitamin D, you need to take two and a half a day to get the recommended daily dose of 1000 IU, thereby exposing your body to an overload of vitamin A, which in excessive amounts, has been associated with birth defects and osteoporosis. Vitamin D supplements provide the same benefits as sunshine but if taken in too large a dose, can cause vitamin D toxicity, whereas sun exposure does not.

 

MYTH: YOU PRODUCE VITAMIN D IN THE WINTER TIME

TRUTH: You cannot make vitamin D in the UK or any location above 40 degrees north in the winter months. However, if you get moderate exposure to the sun between May and October, the excess vitamin D is stored in the body's fat, which can be released during the winter.

 

MYTH: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 'SAFE' TAN

TRUTH: Tanned skin protects you against sunburn, thought to be the main cause of melanoma. If you avoid getting sunburned, the benefits of moderate sun exposure will far outweigh the possible dangers.

 

MYTH: MELANOMA IS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH UV EXPOSURE

TRUTH: There is no credible scientific evidence that regular, moderate sun exposure causes melanoma. Melanoma is seen more often in people who do not receive this type of exposure than in those who spend time in the sun. Melanomas also usually occur on parts of the body that receive little or no UV exposure. This suggests that genetics plays a much more important role in the development of melanoma than does regular, moderate UV exposure.

 

MYTH: SUNBEDS ARE FOR TANNING ONLY

TRUTH: If you don't have the opportunity to go out in the sun or prefer a more private and controlled environment, indoor tanning facilities represent a viable alternative to natural sunshine for stimulating your production of vitamin D. However, it is important to remember that the radiation that you are exposed to in an indoor tanning facility is the same as what you get from the sun. That means you need to take the same precautions that you would if you were in natural sunlight.

 

MYTH: THE ELDERLY DON'T NEED AS MUCH UV EXPOSURE AS THE YOUNG

TRUTH: Your ability to manufacture vitamin D diminishes fourfold from age twenty to age seventy. Older people are especially receptive to the alarmist warnings about excessive sun exposure and often decrease their exposure at a time when they need it most. Since vitamin D is directly linked to bone health, this age group should be more concerned about fracturing a hip because they are vitamin D deficient, than the risk of getting wrinkles or skin cancer.

 

ARE YOU MORE AT RISK FROM VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY?

 

Age:

The older you are, the harder it is for your skin to make vitamin D from sunlight.

 

Lifestyle:

The more time you spend indoors during daylight hours, the less opportunity you have to make vitamin D.

 

Geographical Location:

In the UK with its relatively long winters, you get less sun over the course of the year because the sunlight isn't strong enough to make vitamin D in the winter.

 

Race:

People with very dark skin, especially those of Asian and Afro-Caribbean descent find it difficult to make vitamin D from limited sunlight.

 

Culture:

Certain cultures require their women to cover themselves entirely in heavy clothing that blocks out the sun.

 

Intestinal Diseases:

For people with Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis and certain other intestinal diseases, as the intestine cannot efficiently absorb vitamin D from the diet or supplement.

 

Scientists at Boston University School of Medicine recently conducted a study of 50 adults who visited tanning salons. They were individually consulted about how often they used sunbeds, following which they underwent blood tests and a bone scan. The results were compared with 100 people who did not use sunbeds. Almost 42% of non-users were found to be vitamin D deficient compared with just 8% of sunbed users. Scans also showed that those who used the sunbeds on a regular basis had significantly higher bone mass