For the first time in human history, we are not receiving the abundance of natural sunlight we used to when we worked and played outside. The modern lifestyle of work and recreation is dominated by indoor activities that often revolve around a computer screen. When humans were hunters and gatherers we had no problem getting time in the sun, but our current lifestyle does not allow us enough sun exposure to stay healthy.
Even when we do get outside, we now cover ourselves with protective clothing or sunscreen in an effort to prevent sunburn, skin cancer, and premature skin aging. These measures prevent the production of vitamin D3 and other beneficial photoproducts. A large body of research demonstrates the importance of sunlight for supporting health.
Studies have shown a correlation between lack of sunlight and the occurrence of several chronic health problems:. Numerous studies have demonstrated a reduced incidence of multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes with increased sun exposure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U. Cardiovascular complications and associated death occurs significantly more frequently in the winter than summer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U. Many studies have found that increased sun exposure is correlated with reduced occurrence and mortality from multiple forms of cancer. Autoimmune, neurological, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular disease, hypertension and common cancers have all been linked to a lack of sun exposure and vitamin D. A year study following 29, subjects found that those avoiding sun exposure were twice as likely to die from all causes.
Not only is lack of sunlight linked to deadly illness, it also correlates to several ailments that significantly diminish quality of life. Depression, bipolar disorder symptoms, suicide rate and decreased cognitive performance are all correlated to the winter season, increased distance from the equator and decreased sun exposure.
When human skin is exposed to sunlight it produces several hormones and peptides that contribute to systemic health and wellness. Substances made from chemical reactions with sunlight are called photoproducts.
While vitamin D is the most universally recognized health benefit humans receive from sun exposure, it is just one of many important photoproducts. Some of the healthy photoproducts all made in the same ultraviolet B UVB wavelength range include:. Vitamin D3- Widespread impact on hard and soft tissues in the body. Impacts musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neurological, and immune system. Calcitriol- Regulates cellular function and is involved in all major systems of the body.
Beta Endorphin BE - Increases relaxation, acts as a natural painkiller and promotes feeling of well-being. All of these substances contribute to that relaxed, happy feeling we get when we are regularly exposed to the sun.
Like other animals, humans have evolved an internal reward system to promote biologically beneficial activities that increase chance of survival. This reward system uses beta endorphin to make us feel good, reduce pain and encourage behavior that increases the likelihood of our survival.
While there are many health benefits of sunshine, the sun also has the power to cause damage. Moderate sun exposure is needed to produce the many health benefits the sun provides, but this can be difficult to manage. Excess sun exposure can lead to sunburn and is linked to skin cancer. Light can be broken down into many different wavelength ranges.
Different wavelengths of light lead to different physiological processes occurring in the body. UVA light has the longest wavelength at nm. UVB light has a wavelength between nm.
UVC light has a wavelength at nm and is very harmful to human skin. This is the spectrum of light that stimulates the production of vitamin D in the skin. While sunbathing can stimulate the production of vitamin D and other important hormones, it also exposes you to UVA rays which can cause damage to the skin. Tanning occurs when UVA rays trigger melanocytes to produce melanin, the brown pigment that leads to tan skin. Of course, a little sunshine can go a long way and too much is harmful for our skin.
Depending on the shade of your skin, scientists estimate your body can produce vitamin D in about 5 to 30 minutes in the sun. If you're wearing sunscreen, you may not produce as much vitamin D. If you're outside for some much-needed vitamin D, don't expose bare skin longer than 5 to 30 minutes.
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Please consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns. This benefit may not be covered by your plan. But it breaks the other rules for vitamins because it's produced in the human body, it's absent from all natural foods except fish and egg yolks, and even when it's obtained from foods, it must be transformed by the body before it can do any good.
As our habits change, most of us cannot rely on our bodies to produce vitamin D the old-fashioned way. Instead, we increasingly depend on artificially fortified foods and pills to provide this vital nutrient. Coming full circle in the modern world, this substance may actually come to fit the technical definition of a vitamin. Vitamin D is not one chemical but many. The natural type is produced in the skin from a universally present form of cholesterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol.
In contrast, most dietary supplements are manufactured by exposing a plant sterol to ultraviolet energy, thus producing vitamin D 2.
Because their function is almost identical, D 2 and D 3 are lumped together under the name vitamin D — but neither will function until the body works its magic see figure. The sun's energy turns a chemical in your skin into vitamin D 3 , which is carried to your liver and then your kidneys to transform it to active vitamin D. The first stop is in the liver, where vitamin D picks up extra oxygen and hydrogen molecules to become hydroxyvitamin D, or 25 OH D.
This is the chemical that doctors usually measure to diagnose vitamin D deficiencies. But although 25 OH D is used for diagnosis, it can't function until it travels to the kidney.
There it acquires a final pair of oxygen and hydrogen molecules to become 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D; scientists know this active form of the vitamin as 1,25 OH 2 D, or calcitriol, but for ordinary folks the name vitamin D is accurate enough. Vitamin D's best-known role is to keep bones healthy by increasing the intestinal absorption of calcium.
A lack of vitamin D in children causes rickets; in adults, it causes osteomalacia. Both bone diseases are now rare in the United States, but another is on the rise — osteoporosis, the "thin bone" disease that leads to fractures and spinal deformities. Low levels of vitamin D lead to low bone calcium stores, increasing the risk of fractures.
If vitamin D did nothing more than protect bones, it would still be essential. But researchers have begun to accumulate evidence that it may do much more. In fact, many of the body's tissues contain vitamin D receptors, proteins that bind to vitamin D. In the intestines, the receptors capture vitamin D, enabling efficient calcium absorption.
But similar receptors are also present in many other organs, from the prostate to the heart, blood vessels, muscles, and endocrine glands. And work in progress suggests that good things happen when vitamin D binds to these receptors. The main requirement is to have enough vitamin D, but many Americans don't. Vitamin D deficiencies were rare when most men rolled up their sleeves to work in sunny fields.
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