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 James McNabb, M.D., C.N. |
Bad Sun, Good Sun (Part 2)
Last article we talked about the inherent dangers of too much sunshine. In fact, as a society we have heard so much about the dangers of sun for so long that we have become heliophobic to a large degree. We must not forget that the sun affords us many benefits.
Don't Be SAD
Season Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a wintertime depression that occurs more typically in the northern latitudes, which is relieved by UV lighting. It is not surprising that Seattle is home to Starbucks coffee. I remember a winter I spent in Galveston, Texas when the weather remained foggy or overcast for several months. Towards the end we were all sniping at each other for no good reason, except that we were all subject to seasonal affective disorder.
The Sun and Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a much-underappreciated nutrient today. It was not always so. In the 1940’s, children were given cod liver oil, which contains vitamin D, so that they would not develop rickets. In the 1950’s, milk became fortified with vitamin D-2. Rickets has since become a forgotten disease. Osteoporosis has replaced rickets as a most feared disease, especially among elderly women. While calcium and magnesium are offered as preventatives, little advice is given to increasing vitamin D levels. The best way to increase vitamin D levels is for the body to make it through full body exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is first made in the skin in response to UV rays. It must then be further processed in the liver and kidney to make the final form. It is only a vitamin when our skin does not initiate the process.
Vitamin D, it seems, has many more functions than keeping bones strong. It has anti-oxidant properties, as well as being a good cancer fighter. It has been shown that African men living in Scandinavia have enormous increases in prostate cancer. The reason is lack of sunshine.
Recommendation
My recommendation is to have enough exposure to sun to stimulate vitamin D production but not enough to cause redness or burning. This will vary according to latitude, time of day and year, skin type, and amount of previous tanning. Be sure to shade your eyes as well.
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