Earlier this morning, I was walking on my way to work. I notice plenty of people (most are females) opening their umbrella to escape from the beautiful and refreshing morning sunlight, my goodness!
So I decided to post this eye opening research ( that most of us already know for sure) :
Whilst avoiding the harsher elements of direct sunlight is not only wise but is necessary, avoiding the sun all together and as the result, not getting enough direct sunlight on our skin, is even more problematic.
Did you know that according to a June 2007 study (1), not getting enough direct sunlight increases our chances of cancer by at least 70%? Why? Because our bodies need natural sunlight to synthesize adequate amounts of vitamin D in order to keep our bones strong and healthy, as well as support the immune system.
Vitamin D, is found in the food we eat. Most people would not eat these foods on a daily basis all year round and, for this reason would need to get the active form of vitamin D with careful exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Please note it has to be ultraviolet rays of the sun (UV) as these are the only ones that actually trigger the synthesis of vitamin D in our body.
It is interesting to note here that one would need to drink at least a liter of milk a day to get the minimum requirements of vitamin D, which is around 400 IU. If we were to expose at least 20% of our skin to sunlight all year round for up to 10 minutes a day without any SPF, then we would ensure adequate amounts of vitamin D. The fairer your skin the less direct exposure is needed to activate vitamin D synthesis. For people with very fair skin, just a short burst of sunshine on their skin would also be enough.
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