Vitamin D, timed sun exposure, and physical activity: The three secrets to a healthy summer

We are full summer and the sun and as much free time as they can give us, as well as the rest we deserve, Important benefits For our health. If we expose ourselves to Sun rays Wisely, for example, we will have a greater synthesis of Vitamin D with enormous benefits for our health. If we then expose ourselves to the sun either during the early hours of the morning or late afternoon while engaging in physical activity, we will complete the cycle, giving our bodies an important boost on a structural, muscular, cardiovascular and psychological level as well. as an immune system.

A sedentary lifestyle is associated with many diseases: from overweightobesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, anxiety and depression, which are largely attributed to a chronic inflammatory condition associated with a poor lifestyle.
In practice, our body is subject to the action of free radicals derived from a diet poor in micronutrients, poor quality and high in calories, which, together with poor physical activity, leads to an increase in adipose tissue, which creates an inflammatory state in our body. It exposes us to many diseases.
Physical exercise, as I always repeat, It has tremendous benefits on the muscle level (for example, opposing muscle deterioration associated with age and a sedentary lifestyle) with an improvement in body composition even in elderly people, in cardiovascular level, as well as in immune function by opposing, for example, the physiological deterioration in our defenses that occurs with age Age, which puts us at greater risk for infectious and degenerative diseases such as cancer.

However, we have to ask ourselves, what kind of exercise can give us these benefits?
We can say that in terms of immunity, we do not benefit from high-intensity physical exercises that are repeated over time because, for example, they lead to an increase in cortisol, which has a depressing effect on the immune response. It is manifested in professional athletes (and not only) by an increase in upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) after long-term endurance races such as marathons or high-intensity runs. It has been proven, in fact, that after this type of competition, especially if it is not well managed in terms of training, nutrition and supplementation, there can be a significant increase in diseases of the upper respiratory tract favored by immunodeficiencies associated with continuous physical exercises or as some recent studies show, High-intensity physical exercise (usually on weekends, wanting to make up for whatever one failed to do during the week) can be associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, if you manage to do 5 days a week of 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise, alternating with daily snacks (eg push-ups for arms and legs) and about 2 sessions per week of stretching and weight training, even when normal , I will have tremendous benefits on my body.

In addition to physical exercise, a significant impact on the health of the musculoskeletal system, metabolism and immunity can be provided by the increased excretion of vitamin D associated with exposure to sunlight, provided that this occurs, as I said at the beginning of this article, prudently early on. hours in the morning or late afternoon to avoid risks to skin health caused by the action of ultraviolet rays.
Vitamin D deficiency It is prevalent due to several factors that are often difficult to explain related to genetics, ethnicity, lifestyle, and in indoor activity athletes. My Vitamin D is a stimulating hormone that is synthesized in the skin by exposure to sunlight. The diet provides about 10-20% of his daily requirement since a very limited number of foods contain vitamin D, such as fatty fish (such as salmon), mushrooms and, to a lesser extent, dairy products and eggs.

But what vitamin D levels (25 OHD3) do we need to reach to have positive effects on our health?
The scientific literature now agrees on the fact that a 25(OH)D concentration >50 nmol/L can be defined as good, insufficient (25(OH)D concentration between 30 and 50 nmol/L or 12-20 ng/mL), and deficiency (25 (OH)D levels <30 nmol/L or less than 12 ng/ml). Vitamin D has beneficial effects on both skeletal and extraskeletal levels. There is increasing evidence that it regulates many other cellular functions and its potential effect on skeletal muscle mass and strength is receiving increasing attention. Vitamin D in athletes, but also in healthy, active people, increases muscle strength and power, and has beneficial effects on body composition by improving the ratio between fat mass and lean mass, through direct and indirect effects at the muscle level and by improving insulin sensitivity. Optimal levels of vitamin D improve various endocrine functions such as thyroid function, resistance to autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune thyroiditis, and it appears to prevent some types of cancer.

Vitamin D deficiency It is associated with increased loss of calcium from the bones, which leads to increased demineralization of the bone and an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. However, vitamin D is also a powerful modulator of our immune system, and in fact, insufficient levels of vitamin D have been associated with various forms of allergic asthma and greater susceptibility to infections as proven in the recent Covid-19 pandemic where insufficient levels of asthma . Vitamin D has been linked to an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and a worse course.
It has also been shown, again in connection with the immunomodulatory action of vitamin D, how it stimulates our immune cells to produce cathelicidin, a type of natural antibiotic, and how low levels of vitamin D are associated with deficits in immune surveillance, including its reduction. IgA in saliva and an increased risk of long-term respiratory infection. In conclusion, we can say that our holidays, in addition to giving ourselves a proper rest, allowing us to spend more time with family and friends, can also become an important moment for increasing our vitamin D deposits and properly training smart. To strengthen – in anticipation of the fall season – our bodies, both from the point of view of muscles and immunity.

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Fabrizio Angelini