
Vitamin D deficiency has received a lot of press over the years owing to revelations that the issue is prevalent and on the rise around the world. And unfortunately, Australians, despite plentiful sunshine, are far from immune.
UVB rays from the sun may be a major source of vitamin D but they have many other well-documented dangers. This presents a dilemma for parents responsible for their own and their children’s wellbeing.
Australia’s sun safety mantra of “slip, slop, slap” has been drilled into the national consciousness for good reason. But along with recent research findings, the trend of working and spending leisure time indoors, wearing sunscreen and covering up when outdoors, means people need to rethink how and if they are getting enough vitamin D.
Australian research indicates up to 80% of people in at-risk populations show signs of vitamin D deficiencies.
People with dark skin (due to the increased amount of sun exposure required), individuals that cover their skin for cultural or religious reasons, breastfed babies of mothers deficient in vitamin D, people living in the southern states with little sun exposure, along with the elderly are most at risk of depleted levels of the vitamin.
Vitamin D is vital to maintaining muscle and bone strength. It also helps the body absorb calcium from food.
It’s also particularly important that pregnant women get enough vitamin D as it can affect the development of a baby’s bones and, in cases of severe deficiency, lead to a bone condition called rickets.
Most people regularly spending time outdoors should get enough incidental sunshine to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D. Experts generally recommend (in the warmer months) no more than 15 minutes of unprotected sunshine exposure before 10am or after 3pm. Understandably then well-intentioned parents continue, even when the UV levels are low, applying sunscreen, hats and covering up or keeping children out of the sun.
In a statement by the Cancer Council Australia, the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society, Osteoporosis Australia and the Australasian College of Dermatologists, when the UV Index is less than three (from May to August in the southern states and from June in WA and NSW), sun protection may not be required.
In hotter climates such as the Northern Territory and Queensland, year-round protection is still warranted. But, this is not to say residents in the southern states should discard sunscreen in the winter!
But if safe sun exposure is all a bit confusing, diet and vitamin supplementation is another way to help to boost waning levels of vitamin D.
In the end making sure you and your family are getting enough vitamin D is about common sense. If you are worried about sun exposure, particularly on delicate young skin, but concerned about vitamin D deficiency, don’t hesitate to be tested. Be sure also to speak to health professionals about the various ways to get enough of the sunshine vitamin - your family’s future health and wellbeing depends on it!
References available on request