Sunshine and vitamin D: why cloudy skies are bad for our health

The lack of sunshine in the UK means 25% of us are short of vitamin D. Does it matter? Yes, it does – it could be vital in the fight against TB, cancer and multiple sclerosisA study that emerged from Denmark this week may not have seemed particularly striking in itself. It does, however, add to a growing body of evidence that the paucity of sunlight in the UK for most of the year not only makes us miserable, but could actually be doing us harm.The study showed vitamin D tablets could lower blood pressure just as well as prescription medicines. It was small, but the findings were significant. Almost everyone with high blood pressure in the study had vitamin D levels that were too low. So the tablets were replacing something that was missing.Recognition of the importance of vitamin D for our health is growing. Many of us are, however, vitamin D...

Read the whole article on The Guardian - Science

More from The Guardian - Science

Related