By: J. Chevont’e Alexander

 

The Spring weather is finally here and what better way to enjoy the weather in Richmond than to sit outside on the Capitol lawn, take a walk in Rockwood Park, go to the zoo or take a walk down beside the James River or down the Canal. Not only do you get to enjoy the great weather and treasures of Richmond, but the sunlight and its vitamin-D boosting benefits are healthy for you as well.  Ultraviolet light from the sun converts a form of cholesterol to vitamin D in the skin. When the UV-B rays hit the skin, a reaction takes place that enables skin cells to manufacture vitamin D.

Dr. E. Johnson Vaughn, a health educator at Norfolk State University, strongly encourages children, adults, and seniors to “enjoy daily outdoor activities for 5 to 30 minutes and let the sun help provide the body’s need for vitamin D.”

How much vitamin D do you need?

The amount of sun exposure individuals need to produce vitamin D depends on their age, skin color,time of day, season of the year, and locations.  If you are fair-skinned, experts say going outside for 10 minutes in the midday sun will give you enough radiation to produce about 10,000 international units (IU) of the vitamin. Dark-skinned individuals and the elderly produce less vitamin D. Persons of darker hue require longer exposure while those of fair skin should limit exposure to avoid sunburn.

Hands, face, and arms should be exposed two to three times per week for a time period that does not risk sunburn. Seniors should spend about 5 to 10 minutes daily. Several factors influence the essential exposure time.  The recommendations for adults up to age 69 rose to 600 IU/day, and to 800 IU/day for adults starting at age 70. Older adults need more vitamin D because as they age, their skin does not produce vitamin D efficiently, they spend less time outdoors, and they tend to not get enough vitamin D. An estimated 40 to 75 percent of people are deficient. The recommendation for most people from children to adults is about 5 to 30 minutes of sunlight.

Most children love the outdoors so their exposure is usually met with little effort required from parents. Other ages get sufficient sunlight through daily activity of walking, sports and work. Persons confined to the bed or the indoors are encouraged to sit at a window to get sunlight.

The recommended time of day is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The winter months in northern climates do not provide as much Vitamin D conversion; a dietary source of vitamin D is needed.

 

A Global Concern

Believe it or not,  vitamin D deficiency has become a global concern. If you live north of the line connecting San Francisco to Philadelphia and Athens to Beijing, odds are that you do not get enough vitamin D. The same holds true if you do not get outside for at least a15-minute daily walk in the sun.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, an estimated 1 billion people have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood. Being “D-ficient” may increase the risk of a host of chronic diseases.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that those with the lowest vitamin D levels have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight-year period compared with those with the highest vitamin D levels. The researchers cite “decreased outdoor activity” as one reason that people may become deficient in vitamin D.

Benefits of vitamin D

The sunshine vitamin may protect against a host of diseases, including osteoporosis, heart disease and cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. What’s more, sunlight has more hidden benefits – like protecting against depression, insomnia and an overactive immune system.

In addition to its primary benefits, research suggests that vitamin D may also play a role in:

• reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
• decreasing your chance of developing heart disease, according to 2008 findings published in Circulation, and
• helping to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu, according to the 2010 research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Vitamin D helps ensure that the body absorbs and retains calcium and phosphorus, both critical for building bone in the body. It also facilitates in helping to have a normal immune system function.

So during your next lunch break or to spend a bit of family time outside of the house, go for a stroll in your neighborhood and try to incorporate a 15 to 30 minute walk outside everyday so you can ensure everyone in your family grows up healthy and strong!