In addition to recreation, relaxation and deceleration in the Lower Bavarian nature, there are many large and small things to discover if you look from the inside out and encounter the animal and plant world with attention and a pinch of curiosity.
And there is a special side effect of exercise and spending time in the open air, especially in the warmer and sunny months – the body’s own production of vitamin D.
Above all, vitamin D plays an important role in regulating the calcium level in the blood and in bone metabolism. In addition, it is assumed that vitamin D supports or has a positive influence on other important functions of the human organism. Clarifying these assumptions has been the subject of ongoing scientific research for several years.
In the human body, three organ systems in particular are needed to produce vitamin D, or rather “vitamin D3” – the liver, the kidneys and the largest human organ, the skin.
However, the skin needs the UV-B radiation of sunlight for vitamin D production.
There are dermatological specialist societies and official bodies [Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft (DDG), der Berufsverband der Deutschen Dermatologen (BVDD) und das Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS)] already a warning. Solarium visits are not useful to replenish the vitamin D stores, because the possible collateral damage from the high dose of radiation from the artificial sun is far too great, in particular the risk of black skin cancer, the malignant melanoma.
In our latitudes, the body’s vitamin D level fluctuates with the rhythm of the seasons. The vitamin D level falls by the end of winter because the body uses up the vitamin D that is mainly stored in the summer months.
So that enough vitamin D is available for the body in winter, it is usually sufficient to go outdoors regularly in summer and to eat a balanced diet throughout the year.
But beware! Adequate sun protection should be used even if direct exposure to the sun is brief, as sunburn should always be avoided, especially in children. You can either obtain information on the Internet from specialist dermatological societies or federal and state ministries, or ask dermatologists for recommendations on appropriate sun protection as part of skin cancer screening.
There are also many sick people or people in need of care who have a vitamin D deficiency that cannot be easily remedied by spending time in the sun. In this case, treatment must then be carried out under medical follow-up with supplementary vitamin D3 intake (usually as a tablet or capsule).
Some time ago, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, together with the UV Protection Alliance, initiated a scientific debate between the relevant specialist groups with the aim of uniform recommendations regarding UV protection and vitamin D.
Accordingly, according to current knowledge, it is sufficient for proper vitamin D production to expose the face, both hands and arms uncovered and without sun protection two to three times a week. For the duration of this dosed sunbath, it is important to know your own skin type. It is recommended to use half the time in which you would otherwise get sunburned without protection, scientifically speaking, half the minimum sunburn-effective UV dose (0.5 MED).
For example, for people with skin type 2 and high UV radiation from the sun (UV index 7), the duration is about 12 minutes, the above-mentioned body regions should be exposed to the sun two to three times a week. The current UV index and UV forecasts can be found on the BfS website and on the website of the German Weather Service.
With this in mind, we wish you a successful refueling of your vitamin D stores under the Lower Bavarian sun.
dr med Daniel Falkner – FA Internal Medicine – Senior Physician – Clinic Prof. Schedel