Sunshine, Vitamin D and viruses

28 Oct

ALL of those three things ARE related! You need to know why!

It has been found, that (along with other vitamins in high doses,) VITAMIN D is a big determinant of whether you get over COVID-19, or not. Not many people realise that there are various forms of Vitamin D – but best of all – we can make our own Vitamin D from exposure to sunshine!

The pigment which is in our skin called Melatonin, causes with exposure to sunlight, our skin to brown – as a protective measure against the sun’s radiation. It also makes one form of Vitamin D at the same time.

Here is my thought for the day:

Vitamin D has a number of important uses in the body.

It is vitally important for us to grow and maintain our bone strength along with other minerals – Calcium, Magnesium, Boron amongst others. It is also in our teeth. If there is a lack of this vitamin you get brittle bones, especially in the elderly, which fracture easily. The shock of this can cause death.

Vitamin D allows the intestines to stimulate and absorb calcium and reclaim calcium that the kidneys would otherwise excrete. Without enough calcium ions in the blood – you cannot use your muscles properly – they get weak (as well as the bone effects – see above) and can lead to various muscle problems like fibromyalgia. So without Vitamin D to help this process people get malnourished and sick.

It is part of the immune system and helps to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu, according to 2010 research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Research has shown that vitamin D might play an important role in regulating mood and warding off depression. In one study, scientists found that people with depression who received vitamin D supplements noticed an improvement in their symptoms.

In one study, people taking a daily calcium and vitamin D supplement were able to lose more weight than subjects taking a placebo supplement. The scientists said the extra calcium and vitamin D had an appetite-suppressing effect.

When the muscles are unable to work properly – you get tired – muscularly tired. This means your movement muscles fatigue, your heart muscles fatigue (and can lead to heart attacks), your gut muscles fatigue – and your digestion becomes sluggish. You feel mentally tired too!

How much Vitamin D do I need each day?

IUs are a standard type of measurement for drugs and vitamins. IUs help experts determine recommended dose, toxicity, and deficiency levels for each person.

One IU is not the same for each type of vitamin. An IU is determined by how much of a substance produces an effect in your body. The recommended IUs for vitamin D are:

children and teens: 600 IU
adults up to age 70: 600 IU
adults over age 70: 800 IU
pregnant or breastfeeding women: 600 IU

Sunshine

It’s a hot topic – as the sun can damage the various layers of the skin and lay them open to cell damage and mutations – that may lead to skin cancer – the most common of which is Melanoma.

So clearly there has to be a balance between having enough sun/skin exposure for your healthy Vitamin D production and not too much, or NO burning to potentially, over time, cause other problems.

Simple facts: the damaging fraction of the suns radiation are the UV rays of the spectrum. These in effect burn the cells. Sun block aims to do what it says – reduce or block the rays from landing and passing through your skin. Factor 50 will block 50% of the rays for an hour. Factor 15 will block 15% of the rays for the same length of time.

Duration AND intensity are both important. To reduce the intensity – expose your skin during the early or later part of the day – when there is more atmosphere (due to the angle of the sun) for the rays to pierce and they get deflected. Cover up with thick materials during the heat of the day and stay out of direct exposure.

Cerries Mooney