Summer means sunshine and vitamin D:
It’s the perfect season to boost our metabolism
After a long winter and the changeable weather of spring, we all look forward to basking in the sun and warmth of summer. Not only does this feel good, but it also boosts our vitamin D production. Vitamin D is the umbrella term for a whole group of fat-soluble vitamins. The most important forms include vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D is perhaps best known for its involvement in bone metabolism. Among other things, vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphate from the intestine and ensures that these are incorporated into the bones. This process plays a key role in our bone mineralization.
But vitamin D can also do much more: It’s involved in other metabolic processes, such as the formation of proteins, and is additionally required to control the activity of some genes.
The feel-good booster among vitamins
Vitamin D is not only essential for general health, but also for our well-being. Adequate sun exposure and a balanced diet help to maintain healthy vitamin D levels. And it’s something we can actually feel, in the truest sense of the word: Not only are the warm rays of sunshine good for us, but vitamin D also has a strong influence on the production of serotonin in our brain. It rewards us with feelings of happiness and a good mood. Its anti-inflammatory properties can also reduce chronic inflammation. All of this helps us to feel totally at ease in the summer sunshine.
Fuelling our muscle power
Vitamin D’s positive effect on our muscles has also been a hot topic of research, almost from the very moment of its discovery. With the Paris Olympic Games right around the corner, there’s no better time to take a closer look at what one such study has shown.
To prove the connection between muscles and vitamin D, a research group at the Institute of Sports Medicine at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark examined the extent to which vitamin D levels in the blood influence the progress of strength training in the winter months, and whether supplementing with vitamin D can specifically improve the training effect. For this experiment, healthy, untrained men from two different age cohorts – 20 to 30 years old, and 60 to 75 years old – were recruited as test subjects and randomly divided into two groups each. In each of the two cohorts, one group (the “vitamin D group”) were given 48 µg of vitamin D3 and 800 mg of calcium daily for 16 weeks. The other group ( the “placebo group”) were given 800 mg of calcium only. In the last 12 weeks of the period, all participants trained the anterior thigh muscles.
Measurements taken during this period showed that the cross-sectional areas of the anterior thigh muscles and isometric strength increased more in the vitamin D group than in the placebo group. The researchers were convinced that solar radiation had no significant (falsifying) effect on the results. Rather, the reason for the rapid results of the training was due to the active vitamin D hormone calcitriol, which increases the oxygen uptake of the mitochondria in the muscle tissue. Following muscular exertion, vitamin D also actively helps to shorten the recovery periods after training.
Let the sun shine!
Vitamin D is the only vitamin that is not primarily supplied through diet, but for which the sun plays an important role in its production. Only through direct sunlight on the skin can the body produce vitamin D itself.
The decisive factor is the intensity of the UV-B radiation contained in sunlight. Although it sounds simple, it’s often difficult to actually get enough sun exposure in everyday life. Due to our urban lifestyle, long working days and most jobs being carried out in an indoor environment, many people are not exposed to the amount of radiation necessary for the production of vitamin D. For the pharmaceutical industry, it’s therefore been a lucrative market to tap into. And it certainly makes sense for many people to take vitamin D supplements, particularly before we become more deficient in it as we head into the winter months. Nevertheless, it’s also interesting to know that the vitamin D level in the blood remains elevated for significantly longer when vitamin D has been produced through the skin, as opposed to being taken orally.
How quickly we can boost our vitamin D production through our skin depends on many factors – such as the time of day and year, cloud cover, our skin type, age, clothing, use of sunscreen, and even the specific position of the sun itself in relation to us. When the sun is lower than about 45 degrees in the sky, its UV-B radiation is no longer sufficient for significant vitamin D production. The relative intensity of UV-B radiation changes greatly throughout the day, reaching its full intensity around midday. This means that radiation is always too weak for vitamin D production in the morning and evening, at least – but during winter days, it may not reach sufficient intensity at all, even around noon.
The dark side to chasing vitamin D
Where there’s plenty of light, there’s also shadow: Although sun’s UV radiation is important for vitamin D production and thus for health, it paradoxically can also be potentially harmful. Excessive UV radiation is directly linked to accelerated skin ageing and the development of skin cancer. Therefore, it’s good to spend time outdoors, but you should be careful to never stay in the sun for too long, and to make sure you always have adequate sun protection. Each and every individual has to find the right balance and the right approach for themselves. Again, the list of factors mentioned previously makes a big difference. Skin type in particular plays a major role here: Generally, people with lighter skin should use a lotion with a very high sun protection factor, and take breaks in the shade more often than people with darker skin.
Come rain or shine, you should know that you can always count on Carl ROTH. We make things easy for you and can supply the exact amount of anything you need for your laboratory, no matter the time of day or year. It’s something we’re passionate about, and makes us feel positively radiant!
Sources:
https://www.vitamind.net/sonne/
https://www.vitamind.net/vitamin-d-und-muskeln/
https://www.kieser.at/fw/foerdert-vitamin-d-den-muskel-und-kraftzuwachs/
https://www.bfs.de/DE/themen/opt/uv/wirkung/einfuehrung/einfuehrung.html