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Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the best time to be out in the sun to raise the level of Vitamin D.
Introduction
Our body needs Vitamin D.
Vitamin D benefits our body in many ways.
Lack of Vitamin D causes negative health outcomes.
For many years, many people believed that the best time to be out in the sun is early morning, but recent research proves otherwise.
The best time to be out in the sun, unprotected, is during noon.
(Transitions: Let’s look at the reason that backs up this finding)
Body
Using sunscreen all the time contributes to Vitamin D deficiency.
The wavelengths that help generate Vitamin D in the body is shorter during morning and afternoon.
The wavelengths that contributes to the development of cancer during morning and afternoon is longer.
Conclusion
Now, science is letting us know that what we knew all along was wrong.
The best time to be out in the sun is during noon because it allows us to maximize Vitamin D production at a minimum risk.
It is a fact that our body needs Vitamin D to function properly. For instance, our bodies need Vitamin D for calcium absorption. Without calcium, our bones will be weak. It also contributes in improving our body’s immune system (U.S. National Library). Without enough level of Vitamin D, we can develop osteoporosis and our nerves and muscles may also be negatively impacted (U.S. National Library). In the past years, many people believed that the best time to be out in the sun is early morning or in the afternoon when the sun is not sharp, but recent research proves otherwise. In fact, the best time to be out in the sun, unprotected, is during noon. Let’s look at the reason that backs up this finding.
First of all, many people believe that it is a must to use sunscreen all the time, but this only contributes to Vitamin D deficiency. According to Matsuoka et al. “a sunscreen with a sun protection of 15 absorbs 99% of the incident UVB radiation, and, thus, when topically applied properly will decrease the synthesis of vitamin D3 in the skin by 99%” (qtd. in Holick and Chen 1082s). This is why in the middle of the day, a brief unprotected time under the sun is crucial.
One of the reasons why it is best to be out in the middle of the day is because the wavelengths that help generate Vitamin D in the body is shorter during morning and afternoon. According to researchers Moan, Dahlback, and Porojnicu, the ultraviolet B (UVB) that helps generate Vitamin D is shorter in the morning and afternoon. This means that it does not help much in increasing the levels of Vitamins D.
Meanwhile during these times, the ultraviolet A (UVA) that is associated with cutaneous malignant melanoma is actually longer. Melanoma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, is a type of skin cancer that kills 8000 people in the United States annually. This means that instead of getting the most out of the sun during morning and afternoon, prolonged exposure at these times may be harmful.
Now, science is letting us know that what we knew all along was wrong. Brief sun exposure during noon can help us make the most out of ultraviolet B rays which increases our level of Vitamin D. At the same time, it allows us to avoid exposure to the harmful ultraviolet A. In other words, the best time to be out in the sun is during noon because it allows us to maximize Vitamin D production at a minimum risk.
Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Melanoma Surveillance in the United States.” U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. CDC, 20 October 2011. Web. 20 June 2016.
Holick, Michael, and Tai Chen. “Vitamin D Deficiency: A Worldwide Problem with Health Consequences.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 87 (2008): 1080s-1086s. Print.
Moan, Johan, Arne Dahlback, Alina Carmen Porojnicu. “Sun Exposure and Cancer Survival in Norway: Changes in the Risk of Death with Season of Diagnosis and Latitude.” Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 624 (2008): 43-54. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web. 20 June 2016.
U.S. National Library or Medicine. “Vitamin D.” MedlinePlus. National Institutes of Health, n.d. Web. 20 June 2016.
