Research Reveals The Importance Of Sunlight To Improve Moods

A man sunbathing on a pedestrian bridge in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta (Yudhistira Mahabharata / VOI)

JAKARTA - Basking in the sun has become a routine for many people after the COVID-19 epidemic. In addition to being healthy because the body gets vitamin D intake, another benefit is to make a person in a good mood.

Quoting Business Insider, vitamin D has many benefits for the body, including maintaining healthy bones, brain and heart. There is evidence to suggest vitamin D deficiency is linked to depression. However, that does not mean that taking vitamin D alone can prevent or treat depression.

According to 13 studies involving more than 31 thousand respondents revealed that vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of depression, when compared with those with higher vitamin D levels. "Low vitamin D levels have been associated with major and minor depression, as well as mood disorders and faster cognitive decline," said Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics dietitian Robin Foroutan.

Low levels of vitamin D can impair cognitive function. The reason is, there are vitamin D receptors in areas of the brain that function to control mood and behavior, including those related to depression.

To prevent this the average adult needs about six hundred to eight hundred international units (IU) of vitamin D a day. For example, one egg yolk contains about 40 IU of vitamin D. And salmon contains even more vitamin D by 447 IU.

Apart from food, the fact is that the most common way to get vitamin D is by being exposed to sunlight. Because vitamin D is synthesized by the skin in response to ultraviolet rays.

To get maximum results you should spend at least 15 minutes in the sun between ten in the morning and three in the afternoon. And it must be done regularly three times a week

Vitamin D helps overcome depression?

Actually there is no research that proves that consuming more vitamin D can treat depression. However, it is certain that increasing vitamin D levels can help improve general health and gain more fitness.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (2014) revealed no effect when 4,000 IU of vitamin D was added to those with depression. "We don't have enough evidence to recommend this as a treatment for depression," says Northwestern Medicine psychiatrist Dorothy Sit.

Instead, the doctor may advise a depressed individual to combine therapy and medication as the first step to curing depression. Of course, this is accompanied by living a healthy life such as exercising regularly and eating healthy foods.