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Daily Express: Sunshine Can Save Your Life
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Did we ever doubt it...?
10/03/07
By Victoria Fletcher
BRITONS must spend more time in the sun to improve their health, doctors urged yesterday.
In
a stark message, experts said many people are putting themselves at
risk of illnesses from brittle bones to heart problems because they are
not spending enough time outdoors.
The warning comes after
scientists uncovered alarmingly high rates of Vitamin D deficiency
among Britons during winter and spring.
The greatest source of
vitamin D - which helps strengthen bones and protects the heart - comes
from being exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun.
Experts are so worried about the findings that they said there was a “substantial” public health problem.
The news comes after years of health warnings over the dangers of going out in the sun and developing cancer.
Now
scientists say people must spend more time outdoors and take sensible
precautions like using sun creams to filter out harmful rays.
Almost
nine in ten middle-aged men and women have been found to suffer from
low levels of vitamin D, a study of more than 7,000 people discovered.
And the condition, called hypovitaminosis D, can lead to bone problems, cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Last night, the gloomy winter weather was blamed for the epidemic which means people are spening too much time indoors.
And
scientists said that health officials should seriously consider
fortifying milk with the vitamin in order to boost public intake.
The Government’s foods watchdog said it was now examining whether more foods should be added to the list.
“The
Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently considering the
links between vitamin D status and health. Their position statement
will be available in the summer,” a Food Standards Agency spokesperson
said.
It said that spreads were already fortified and some cereal-makers also added it to their foods.
The
study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
concluded: “Hypovitaminosis D is a substantial public health problem
that exists in British whites. To improve the situation, action is
required at a population level. Immediate action is needed to improve
the vitamin D status of the British population.”
Doctors took
blood samples from 7437 white British men and women aged 45. The tests
were repeated in the spring, summer, autumn and winter months and the
height and weight of each participant was also measured.
It
found that during the winter and spring a staggering 87.1 per cent of
people had levels of vitamin D lower than recommended for good health.
Of these, 15 per cent of people had dangerously low levels which would lead to the softening of bone tissue.
In summer and autumn after sunshine holidays and time in the garden, the situation was still not as good as it should have been.
Figures
showed that 60 per cent of Britons did not have vitamin D levels high
enough for optimum bone health while three per cent still had
dangerously low levels.
Dr Elina Hypponen, from the Centre for
Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Institute of Child
Health in London said: “The reason people have such low levels of
vitamin D is that there are not enough sunny days and people spend a
lot of time indoors.
“The sunlight in winter does not come at
the right angle to properly boost vitamin D levels so people are living
of their reserves from the summer before. People must try and get more
vitamin D through their diet but also get outside.
“You do not have to grill yourself to get enough sunshine, just sensible exposure with sun cream will be enough.”
The
study also found that people who are obese are twice as likely to have
low levels of vitamin D, because the compound is fat soluble.
Ten years ago, most health experts thought vitamin D was only needed to protect against diseases such as rickets.
But
more recently, it has been found to play a far greater role in our
overall health. Low levels have been linked to an increased risk of
osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer. Most recently there have been
reports linking deficiency with heart disease.
Most of our
vitamin D comes from the sun, but it can also come through the diet in
the form of oily fish. Although margarine is fortified with vitamin D,
this is only to bring it up to a relatively low level, similar to that
found in butter.
In the UK, vitamin D-only supplements are not
routinely sold. But it is included in many multi-vitamin tablets.
However, studies from America suggest the amount in these tablets is
still between five and ten times lower than the amount the body
actually needs.
And there are calls for the UK to follow America, Canada and Finland by introducing vitamin D to milk to improve public health.
Last night, charities said they were amazed by the high rates of hypovitaminosis D in this country.
Sarah
Leyland,from the National Osteoporosis Society said: “Weight bearing
exercise, such as brisk walking, is excellent as part of an active
lifestyle for building bone strength.
“The NOS would encourage
anyone, particularly those concerned about bone health, to go out for a
walk each day, which would not only increase general fitness levels,
but would help strengthen bones and top up your daily dose of vitamin D
from the sunshine.
“For those who can’t get out into the sun, oily fish, such as sardines, mackerel and salmon are packed with vitamin D."
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Submitted by Administrator on
Saturday, 10th March 2007
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