Sunlight Vitamin D Synthesis

According to the national institutes of health s office of dietary supplements ultraviolet uv b radiation with a wavelength of 290 315 nanometers penetrates uncovered skin and converts cutaneous 7 dehydrocholesterol to previtamin d3 which in turn becomes vitamin d3.

Sunlight vitamin d synthesis.

Food sources of vitamin d. Darker skin reported to have same capacity for vitamin d synthesis but. Melanin is a broad uv visible radiation absorber melanin competes with the chromophore 7 dhc for absorption of uvb thus making less available to 7 dhc. When it s exposed to sunlight our skin makes vitamin d.

Vitamin d from sunlight is more effective in health maintenance and stays in the body about twice as long as vitamin d from food and supplements. Vitamin d has many roles in the body and is essential for optimal. When the sun s ultraviolet rays touch the skin they convert the precursor to a molecule called vitamin d 3 which then follows a metabolic pathway through the liver and finally to the kidneys where it s converted into a molecule called calcitriol. Personal factors physiological skin pigmentation.

In the midst of summer there s plenty of daily sunlight to boost vitamin d levels in your body. The best food sources of vitamin d are wild not farmed oily fish like salmon mackerel and sardines and cod liver oil. One theory is that because cholesterol is used in vitamin d synthesis levels of cholesterol will reduce as more vitamin d is made. Vitamin d obtained from sun exposure foods and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body for activation.

The sun s ultraviolet b uvb rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells providing the energy for vitamin d synthesis to occur. Other sources include free range eggs and free. That s the good stuff the active form. The challenge lies is balancing skin protection from sun overexposure while reaping vitamin d s.

In humans the most important compounds in this group are vitamin d 3 also known as cholecalciferol and vitamin d 2 ergocalciferol. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet uv rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin d synthesis. Specific sunlight kicks off the vitamin d synthesis process. The liver converts cholecalciferol to calcidiol which is then converted to calcitriol the.

The first hydroxylation which occurs in the liver converts vitamin d to 25. Solar source of vitamin d. One study showed that doing outdoor activities such as gardening in the summer did indeed reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Vitamin d is a group of fat soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium magnesium and phosphate and multiple other biological effects.