The sun is a vital part of our existence as it provides our planet with heat, light and energy.
VITAMIN D: THE GREAT DEBATE
Vitamin D is produced by the body when the skin is exposed to the sun. Vitamin D has lots of health benefits, for example:
• It helps our stomach absorb calcium from the foods we eat.
• It helps build strong bones.
• It boosts our immune system. Our immune system keeps us healthy and helps the body fight illness and infections.
We can get Vitamin D from some foods. Vitamin D is present in fish like salmon and tuna, and also in eggs, as well as milk, but the sun still remains a vital source of Vitamin D.
In the northern hemisphere, it’s advisable that we spend a little time outdoors each day to ‘top up’ our Vitamin D levels. The sun is much stronger in the summer so we can spend less time in it then. We need to spend a little longer in the winter as it is harder for the sunlight to reach us due to cloud cover and shorter days. After some fairly brief sun exposure, the body can produce Vitamin D for several hours afterwards. Dietary supplements are available to boost our levels of Vitamin D but the sun still remains a vital source of this important factor.
Scientists also believe that increased vitamin D production in the body also helps us to fight other types of cancer. A lots of us in the northern hemisphere have less chance of sun exposure especially during the winter months, so does it mean we should be out there baking ourselves in the summer months? In a word - no. On average, most skin types in the UK benefit from 10 to 15 minutes sun exposure every day. It is worth noting that those with very dark skin find it harder to produce vitamin D in their bodies from sunlight exposure as their skin already has a built in protection factor that lighter skins do not have, so they can spend a little more time in the sun or maybe also consider a dietary supplement that contains Vitamin D, as well as adding Vitamin D-rich foods to their diets.
“THE FEEL GOOD FACTOR”
No one can deny that you seem to cheer up when the sun comes out, just as we often feel gloomy on a dark winter’s day. Spending time outdoors is great for our physical and mental well-being, but we need to be sensible about how much time we spend out in the sun.
Follow our guidelines so you can enjoy the sun sensibly!
