Exposure to sunlight may reduce the risk of older people developing heart disease and diabetes, according to researcher released in May from the University of Warwick. The scientists found that pensioners who got out and about into the sunshine had higher levels of vitamin D than those who preferred to stay indoors. 

Low levels of vitamin D can trigger metabolic syndrome – a condition that affects one in five people and is more common in the elderly. Metabolic syndrome affects the body’s ability to produce insulin and can significantly increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. When we get older our skin becomes less efficient at forming vitamin D naturally and this study certainly seems to suggest that older people should spend more time outdoors to stimulate the same levels of vitamin D that they had when they were younger.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 3:50 am and is filed under Diabetes, Heart Disease, In the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.