It’s common knowledge that getting enough exposure to sunlight is very important to the health of our bones. That’s thanks to the fact that sunlight allows our bodies to synthesise vitamin D, which is a nutrient that has been linked to thicker and stronger bones. But now an interesting study has revealed something new about sunlight – it’s important for the health of unborn children too.
A number of medical experts have advised that women who give birth during the winter should use a sun lamp during the last three months of their pregnancy in order to protect their child from the risk of osteoporosis in later life. This suggestion comes after research found that children who are born to mothers whose final three months of pregnancy included at least one summer month were 40 percent less likely to suffer the debilitating bone-wasting condition in their adulthood.
It’s thought that the mother’s exposure to sunlight in this crucial period of the baby’s development ensures that the child gets enough vitamin D to ensure strong bones in the future. Doctors even suggest that women whose last trimester of pregnancy does not fall between May and September should consider taking a holiday in the Mediterranean to guarantee themselves plenty of sunshine.
However, despite the obvious popularity of this suggestion, flying is not recommended in the last trimester of pregnancy, so women could instead use a sunlamp to synthesise the experience of being in the sun. The doctors were quick to point out that this did not mean that they were recommending the use of sunbeds, which actually emit much higher levels of ultraviolet light.
For the research, the team looked at 17,000 patients, mainly female, and 95 percent of whom were white. They found that patients who were under 50 were 40 percent less likely to have developed osteoporosis if their mother’s last trimester of pregnancy included at least one summer month.
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