The Lack of Sunshine May Increase Risk for Diabetes: If you’ve reached middle age and are looking for a common dietary supplement that can be taken to help reduce the risk of both cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes you might look no further than Vitamin D. For an effective dose of the vitamin you might just try spending more time outdoors.

According to research at the Warwick Medical School at Warwick University in the UK individuals could reduce their “chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%” when sufficient doses of vitamin D were accessed.

The Warwick study concentrated on, “Cardiometabolic disorders include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.”

A press release from Warwick indicates that vitamin D is “a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods and is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. Fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are good sources of vitamin D, and it is also available as a dietary supplement.”

The scope of the research is significant in that there was no singular study. Instead researchers compiled data from 28 separate studies that included nearly 100,000 patients. These patients represent both genders and multiple ethnicities. The studies were conducted over a nearly 20-year period in multiple countries including the U.K., the U.S., and India.

According to the release, “The studies revealed a significant association between high levels of vitamin D and a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (33% compared to low levels of vitamin D), type 2 diabetes (55% reduction) and metabolic syndrome (51% reduction).”

Researcher Dr Oscar Franco said, “We found that high levels of vitamin D among middle age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

“Targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders.”

WebMD defined vitamin D as a supplement that promotes, “the proper use of calcium and phosphorus, thereby producing growth, together with proper bone and tooth formation, in young children; the sulfate, a water-soluble conjugate, is found in the aqueous phase of human milk.”

While we understand this as a benefit in youth and as we age it can be easy to forget the benefits of vitamin D in between. This research suggests it is beneficial to keep the vitamin in mind.

WebMD suggests that the most affordable and easily accessible form of vitamin D is simply in spending more time enjoying the outdoors. Your body absorbs vitamin D via the sun storing it much like a rechargeable battery. WebMD suggests, “Exposure of the hands, face, arms, and legs to sunlight two to three times a week for about one-fourth of the time it would take to develop a mild sunburn will cause the skin to produce enough vitamin D.”

Because we tend to spend so much time indoors we are a world suffering from vitamin D deficiency. WebMD elaborates, “Vitamin D deficiency is more common than you might expect. People who don’t get enough sun, especially people living in Canada and the northern half of the US, are especially at risk. Vitamin D deficiency also occurs even in sunny climates, possibly because people are staying indoors more, covering up when outside, or using sunscreens consistently these days to reduce skin cancer risk.”

This trait is also seen as people age and determine to spend more time indoors. The answer is either more time in the sunshine or the use of a vitamin D supplement. Good health may depend more on enjoying sunshine than you imagined.