As summer approaches and the days grow longer, there’s one very good reason to get outside and soak up the sunshine: vitamin D. Often called the “sunshine vitamin”, vitamin D plays a vital role in keeping us healthy… and the best part? We can make it ourselves, with a little help from the sun.
As our author Dr Sarah Myhill reminds us in the second edition of her comprehensive guide to maintaining good health, Ecological Medicine, humans originally evolved in Africa, running around under the hot sun with dark skin to protect against burning UV rays. It turns out that same sunshine helped us create vitamin D through a clever natural process: UV light acts on cholesterol in the skin to produce this essential nutrient. Once made, vitamin D travels through the body, acting as a powerful anti-inflammatory and playing a part in protecting us from a wide range of conditions.
As humans migrated further from the Equator, sunshine became harder to come by – and so lighter skin evolved to allow us to absorb more UV light and keep vitamin D production going. In Northern Europe, where sun is scarcer, people also relied on vitamin D-rich fish to make up the difference. But despite all this clever adaptation, most modern Caucasians are still vitamin D deficient, particularly in cooler climates like the UK.
Why does that matter? Vitamin D helps protect against a host of chronic conditions, including osteoporosis, fractures, high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and even infections. It improves muscle strength, helping us stay active and avoid falls, and supports our immune system too.
The good news is with summer on its way, now’s the perfect time to top up naturally. Just an hour of Mediterranean sun can help your body produce around 10,000 IU (international units) of vitamin D – and while we may not get quite that intensity here in the UK, every bit of sun helps.
So, as long as you’re sensible about sun exposure, take advantage of the warmer weather. Get outside, roll up your sleeves, enjoy a walk, a garden potter, or a picnic in the park – and let your body do what it was built to do: make vitamin D!
Dr Sarah Myhill’s Ecological Medicine offers a practical, evidence-based approach to achieving and maintaining health. Focused on getting the basics right—through diet, supplements, sleep, and exercise—her methods are accessible and affordable for both practitioners and motivated individuals. With real-life case studies and her tried-and-tested ‘Groundhog regimes’, this book makes ecological medicine something we can all benefit from. For more on vitamin D and how it fits into the bigger picture of health, take a look at our book Ecological Medicine, now in its second edition.
