Sunshine for a sunny disposition

Are today’s children at risk for a vitamin D deficiency? Several recent studies say yes. Forty percent of infants and toddlers tested, and forty-two percent of the teens tested showed a serious deficiency in this vitamin, which is important for healthy teeth and bones. New research suggests a link between vitamin D deficiency and certain cancers, osteoporosis, types 1 and 2 diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, seasonal adjustment disorder, and autoimmune disease.

We get vitamin D from the sun. Our skin synthesizes it. Pretty cool, huh? We can’t overdose on this natural source of vitamin D, which is not the same when taking supplements. But now we wear sunscreen when we go outside, and most of us spend far too much time indoors for our own good.

So how much sunlight do we need, and if we go outside without sunblock, are we increasing our risk of skin cancer? Also, where you live in relationship to the equator makes a difference. The further north or south, the more the sun’s rays slant as they enter our atmosphere, and part of the rays are deflected away. We require twice as much sunlight as someone living near the equator because of that. People with dark skin require more sunlight that those with light skin complexions.

Some doctors recommend exposing the face, hands, arms, and legs to sunlight for fifteen minutes a day. Dermatologists and skin cancer experts claim that this is irresponsible. I wonder, though, if those contracting skin cancer didn’t exceed the fifteen minutes? We know that hours of sunbathing on the beach at high noon is not wise. Likewise, I’m not sure that smothering our precious skin in chemical sunblock is all that healthy, either.

Personally, I feel better when I get my daily dose of sunshine. After fifteen minutes, I can move to the shade, or put on a light shirt to protect my arms from burning. And if bringing my crabby two-year-old granddaughter outside once or twice a day will improve her general disposition, prevent her from developing rickets, increase her bone density and tooth enamel, and perhaps protect her from a host of other life-threatening diseases, isn’t it worth it?

Tags: children, health & safety, rickets, skin cancer, vitamin D