Here in England we have been inside and socially isolating for 8 weeks now. We had been told to stay inside and to leave the house only once per day for exercise. This week, that advice has changed and we are now allowed to get outside as much as we like as long as we are still socially distancing. I am here to say, take that opportunity. Get outside, for your health.
Even if you do not have access to nature and green space where you are living, get outside. Go for a walk, then go for another one. Sit on a bench in the sun, you are allowed to do that now, I think. At the very least work or sit by an open window that the sun shines into (not through the glass) wearing a short-sleeved top. Get the sun on your skin. If you have not been out much in the past 8 weeks than that is an even greater reason to get out and to get out even more often than those that have been getting out regularly.
Why am I telling you to get outside? Well, there are all manner of reasons but today I want to talk about vitamin D. It is no great secret that we get vitamin D from skin exposure to the ultra violet rays from sun. We also obtain some from the diet through oily fish, red meat, and egg yolks. You can also obtain vitamin D from vegetarian sources such as mushrooms and from fortified foods. The plant form of vitamin D is D2 (this is also the form that is in fortified foods) and the animal form is D3. D3 has been shown to raise the blood serum levels of vitamin D in humans much more effectively than D2 so it is the preferred choice. It is difficult to achieve optimal levels via diet alone which is why exposing your skin to the sun (without sunscreen on) is so important.
How much sun do I need?
There is no simple answer to this question. It depends on many things, your current vitamin D status, your skin colour, the time of day, the time of year, your age, how much skin you have exposed, how good your body is at converting it, how efficient your liver and kidneys are, genetics, your cholesterol levels, how much fat mass you have, etc. What we do know is that in England from around September to around late March/early April you cannot obtain the levels of vitamin D that you require from sun exposure due to the latitude we are living at. The further north you go, the less vitamin D you get. Luckily, you can store vitamin D in your body. So, get out in the sun, often, and build up a store of vitamin D to ride you through the winter.
What? We make a vitamin in our skin?!
Yes! Although, vitamin D is actually more like a hormone than a vitamin. When UV rays penetrate your skin your body manufactures a vitamin D precursor, using cholesterol, called cholecalciferol. This is why the plant form (vitamin D2) is different — plants do not have cholesterol. After this precursor, cholecalciferol, is made in the skin it moves through the body via the blood to the liver where it is converted to 25(OH)D, also known as calcidiol. Stay with me, we are not done yet! Calcidiol has to move through the body again, this time to the kidneys where it is converted to calcitriol, the most fully active form of vitamin D3.
Why do I need vitamin D?
Vitamin D has many important functions in the body including:
regulation of calcium metabolism
bone, teeth and muscle health
heart function
normal blood clotting
regulation of calcium absorption from food in the gut
phosphorous homeostasis
maintenance of the nervous system
modulation of the adaptive immune system and supporting the innate immune system
supporting digestive health
involved in growth
anti-tumour activity
Vitamin D plays 100s of roles in the body and we still don't know the whole picture. So, it is pretty important, right? After all, we are animals and have not evolved away from the need to be outside under our closest star.
How do I know if I have enough vitamin D?
The thing is unless you have a blood test via your GP or a trusted health practitioner you don't know for sure. A serum vitamin D test will look at the levels of 25(OH)D in your blood. And from there you will be able to tell if you need to increase sun exposure, vitamin D food sources and/or think about supplementation.
What about supplementation?
Public Health England recommends that all people in the UK supplement from September to the end of March and to continue to supplement in the lockdown phase. It is important to get a good quality supplement that is vitamin D3, not D2 and the liquid or spray forms are better. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin so should come along with fat (as in the liquid forms) and other fat-soluble vitamins. It is possible to build up to toxic levels in the body if taking too high a dose so it is advisable to seek the help of a trusted health professional for dosing and quality brand advice.
It is unlikely that you will build up to toxic levels with sun exposure (especially in the UK) and food sources so my best advice is to get your skin in the sun daily between the hours of 11am and 2pm and to include food sources in your diet (yet another reason to eat that oily fish at least three times per week).
What about skin cancer?
I hear what you are saying, "April, all this advice to get out in the sun, without suncream in the hours of highest UV concentration? Aren't we going to burn and get skin cancer?" This is my response, be sensible. Get out in the sun without sunblock on but don't stay in it for hours at a time in the mid-day heat. If you feel like you might start to burn put on a natural sun cream, wear protective clothing or move to the shade. It is about balance. I am not suggesting you baste yourself with oil and go bake in the sun. I am suggesting that you get regular sun exposure, in sensible amounts, to ensure you are optimising your vitamin D levels. If you are wearing sunscreen you will not get the benefit of the vitamin D production in your skin. So, yes, I am suggesting you get in the sun without sun block on for periods of time every single day, especially from early April through to September.
If you would like some vitamin D supplement advice or would like your levels tested, do get in touch and we can book you in for a one-off vitamin D review in which we can get your test ordered, I can review and explain your results and, if necessary recommend a vitamin D supplement to best suit your needs.
To wellness,
April
