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More Sun for a Stronger Heart and Less Diabetes |
Older people need more sunshine according to researchers at the
University of Warwick. Sunlight stimulates the production of vitamin D
in the skin of older people that have a natural reduction due to the
aging process.
The results of the study published in Diabetes Care journal are consistent with the findings of other studies* in Western populations that suggest a vitamin D deficiency could become a global health problem.
The study suggests that as our own production of vitamin D diminishes, we may need to spend more time outdoors to stimulate the same levels of vitamin D we had when we were younger.
This study was conducted with 3,262 community residents aged 50-70 from Beijing and Shanghai in China as part of the Nutrition and Health of Aging Population in China (NHAPC) project. The study found that 94% of the people had a vitamin D deficiency.
University of Warwick
*In a related study researchers analyzed type 1 diabetes incidence rates and found that populations living at or near the equator — where there is abundant sunshine — have lower rates of the disease than populations at higher latitudes, where there is less sunlight. This is the first study to show that higher serum levels of vitamin D are associated with reduced incidence rates of type 1 diabetes worldwide.
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