Monthly Health Articles Archive

Soak up the sunshine for good health

Looking for a reason to get outside on a beautiful summer day?  Here’s one – soak up a little sunshine to improve your health. Catching a few rays over your lunch break does more than just improve your mood.  New research shows that you also could benefit from increasing your intake of vitamin D in regards to disease prevention.

Rickets is the “classic” disease related to vitamin D deficiency, which can result in skeletal deformities in young children.  Adults that have a vitamin D deficiency can end up with osteomalacia, which leads to weak bones and muscular weakness.  Vitamin D, which can be made in our bodies through exposure of our skin to sunlight, is also available in supplement form and in foods like fish, eggs, fortified milk and cod liver oil.  Recent research indicates that in addition to preventing rickets and increasing the absorption of calcium, vitamin D can also play a role in preventing cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and multiple sclerosis.

Our recommended daily dose of vitamin D has increased greatly from what was previously suggested to prevent any deficiencies.  To determine how much vitamin D you should be getting per day, it’s best to consult with your regular health care provider, but typically adults should receive about 4,000 units per day and 400 units for children.  Look for the natural vitamin D3 when using the supplements.

Generally, much of your vitamin D can come from the sun.  However, don’t misunderstand this as an excuse to lather on sunbathing oil and lay out by the pool for hours at a time.  You can get your daily quota of sunshine in just 15 minutes each day.  Be sure that you have a significant amount of skin, such as one arm or leg, exposed to the sun without sunscreen.  Then go outside to enjoy the sunshine for only the required 15 minutes the prime sun hours, which are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  This brief window of time allows your body to make the vitamin D you need to prevent deficiencies.  Be sure to apply sunscreen, however, if you plan to be in the sun for long periods of time during the prime sun hours.

As more sunny days creep into the forecast, start finding ways to increase your vitamin D either through sunshine, supplements or food consumption.  For more information contact Kossuth Regional Health Center at 515-295-2451.

-Deb Studer is a registered dietitian at Kossuth Regional Health Center