Vitamin D - Facts All in Sunbeds
Vitamin D is essential for good health.
Sunbed help to your body produce vitamin D
Medical studies around the world have proven the benefits of Vitamin D in association with:A
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Cellular Health: including breast, colon and prostate cancers
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Bone Health: including osteoporosis, hip fractures, osteomalacia and hip fractures
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Organ Health: including high blood pressure, hypertension and heart disease
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Mental Health: including SAD, PMS, depression and general mood
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Auto-immune Diseases: including multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis
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Skin Disorders: including psoriasis
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Obesity and exercise programmes.
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Sunlight is the most effective way for the body to manufacture Vitamin D. Yet in the UK and Ireland, our bodies can only manufacture Vitamin D from exposure to the sun during the months of May to October. Outside of these months, the sun is simply not strong enough.
Considered by many to be the foremost authority on Vitamin D, Dr Michael Holick (Professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine, one of the USA's top universities), recommends a daily amount of 1,000 IU is necessary to maintain a healthy level. It is very difficult to eat enough Vitamin D rich foods on a daily basis to achieve these levels. Most multi-vitamin supplements only provide 400IU of Vitamin D.
Unprotected UV exposure to 25% of 1 MED, 2-3 times a week is recommended by Dr Holick to ensure sufficient Vitamin D levels. Depending on skin type, this is the equivalent of about 5 minutes of unprotected UV exposure 2-3 times a week.
In natural sunlight the word 'unprotected' is very important, as SPF creams reduce the ability of the body to produce Vitamin D from UV exposure by up to 97%.