Sunlight and Vitamin D Deficiency
The Sunshine Vitamin and the Prevention of Major Illnesses.
Jun 5, 2008
In some places, knowing the expected UV rating for the day has become as important as knowing the day’s forecast. It’s not just rain and wind that people worry about when it comes to summer weather. Skin damage and skin cancer, and the hole in the ozone layer are also concerns, especially for outdoor workers. For years, health professionals have been admonishing people to cover up, wear sunscreen, and seek shade on sunny days. But is the sun really that bad?
Sunshine and Vitamin D
The fact is, sunlight is needed for human health. Sunshine stimulates vitamin D production which is necessary for bone health. Without adequate vitamin D, children have been known to develop a bone disease called rickets. It’s also common knowledge that people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder often experience marked improvement after receiving full-spectrum light therapy. Until recently, this is about all most people knew about the benefits of sunshine – that it was useful for vitamin D production and was helpful for fighting the winter blues.
North Americans at High Risk of Developing Vitamin D Deficiency
Recently, though, more has been learned about the importance of vitamin D. One researcher, Dr. Michael Hollick, a professor of medicine at Boston University Medical Center and the author of “The UV Advantage” believes people need a certain amount of sun exposure not only for good bone health but to prevent a host of diseases that are linked with vitamin D deficiency. Unfortunately, because of its widespread prevalence Dr. Hollick sees vitamin D deficiency as an “unrecognized epidemic throughout the entire United States and Western Europe”.
Diseases Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency
It is now known that vitamin D is necessary for proper muscle function as well as the production of hormones that regulate blood pressure and cell growth. Information gathered from research on vitamin D deficiency by the Vitamin D Council (found online at www.vitamindcouncil.org) implicates Vitamin D deficiency in “seventeen varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, and periodontal disease. Vitamin D is also extremely important in preventing brain injury to the growing fetus."
While people have been hiding from the sun to prevent the development of skin cancer, they may also be hiding from the protective influence of vitamin D against more dangerous and deadly forms of cancer.
Vitamin D Fortified Food Intake Insufficient to Prevent Vitamin D Deficiency
Although dairy products are routinely supplemented with vitamin D, the bad news is that the amount of vitamin D contained in a person’s daily consumption of dairy is far below the amount necessary to prevent vitamin D deficiency.
In keeping with research findings, the Canadian Cancer Society recommends that adults take 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily throughout winter months and adults more at risk of vitamin D deficiency (those who are older, have dark skin, spend more time indoors, or stay covered up outdoors) take the supplement year round.
