Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Britons suffering from lack of sunshine

Sep 20, 2004:
nutraingredients.com:
Britons suffering from lack of sunshine

....
Britain's northern location and lack of sunshine means that during the winter months many people do not get enough of the vitamin made by the body when it is exposed to sunlight.
This lack can be serious, increasing the risk of muscle weakness, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

"About 25 per cent of adults are deficient in vitamin D in winter," Dr Birgit Teucher, of the Institute of Food Research, said during the briefing at the Science Media Centre.
...

(Lack of exposure to proper sunlight triggered my ankylosing spondylitis(AS). Walking in sunlight(~20 min/day for 3 months) brought AS to remission(cured!). Please note that every one is different and what is applicable to me may not be applicable to others. Excess sunlight can be deadly and can cause skin cancer, sunstroke etc.,. Safe limits are different for different people. read more ...http://spondylitis.homestead.com/files/index.htm)

if I remember right a simialar thread like this has been here before. since I live in a cold state(minnesota) I know about the lack of sunshine we all have...may I sugest taking vitamin D supplement during these cloudy or cold days it does help......oak

I am older then I look and I feel older than I am

There is no AS near the equator. It increases with distance from same. How ever I believe that AS is quite different than ricketts which is directly caused by a lack of vit. D. Depression can also be tied to a lack of sunshine.
Klem

Hi, Klem:

There is no B27 at the equator, either. It has been culled out over generations living on dietary starches. Foods historically consumed closer to the poles consisted of few starches and none that were refined or soluble. The Inuit have a high percentage of B27s; up to 50% in some more isolated familial groups.

Best Regards,
John

"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?"
Charles Babbage

Part of the problem here is the increasing muslim population that feels the need to shroud itself from head to toe, especially the women.

And what's he then that says I play the villain
When this advice is free I give and honest

Bilko, your statement got me to thinking so I went and checked into the prevalence of Vit. D deficiency in different populations. I focussed on the Middle East, but found that studies have shown that it anyone with darker skin, as well as those who live veiled have a higher chance of Vit. D. deficiency. Seems that the UVB rays that give us our Vit. D aren't absorbed as easily by those with darker skin, or by any clothing someone is wearing.

Just thought it was interesting. Here are a few of the sites/studies I visited:

http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/175_05_030901/mason/mason.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10977006&dopt=Abstract

Thanks and hugs,


Kat


"I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work."- Thomas Edison

Interesting this just now as my husband came yelling at me the other night to see the news. A medical portion of the news was saying that things like Neuropathy and Diabetes and some other illnesses are better in the sun. These patients need it more and more Vit. D supplements. Drink your milk. Just interesting this subject now.
I know I suffer a whole lot less in a warmer climate than Maine. I need my warm shower to just to get warm and limber up. Helps with the back pain alot.
Which brings me back to the question....do AS patients suffer with the cold weather?
Do warmer climates seem to help?
Felt better in SC and Texas as far as musculoskeletal problems go.
~Kewanee

Kat,
The recent statements by medics here in the UK on vit D deficiency have specifically referred to this manner of dressing by the muslim population as a cause. Not for nothing is sunbathing a habit of north europeans; surely the cosmetic aspect came later.

And what's he then that says I play the villain
When this advice is free I give and honest

Yes, the links I provided were on Australian research, which was the only thing that came up when I googled. Apparently, as we tan, the darker pigmentation serves to block out the UVB rays (or something like that), which is why people with a darker skin tone are more likely to have a Vit. D deficiency. The same thing happens with clothing, which is why going veiled would have the same effect.

I just figured that we of northern climes get so little sun that when we do have it, it feels really good to let it hit us full force. Little did I know that it felt so good for a physiological reason.

Too bad we in the 'New World' have been so puritanical about nudity. I think nude beaches would solve alot of problems. Thank goodness, we have one in Toronto now.

Hugs,

Kat


"I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work."- Thomas Edison

Fairer skinned folk who go in the sun to get Vit D become less fair within days and so presumably stop getting the Vit D benefit?

     Loz



"Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people." William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)