Friday, January 22, 2010
Get out in the sun, now!
Computer-obsessed children who spend too long indoors and over-anxious parents who slap on excessive sunscreen are contributing to a sharp rise in cases of the bone disease rickets, doctors are warning. Vitamin D deficiency, which causes the condition, is synthesised in the body by absorption of sunlight. Some comes from foods such as fish oil. People with darker skins need more sunlight to top up their vitamin D levels. There are several hundred cases of the preventable condition among children in the UK every year, according to a clinical review paper in the British Medical Journal by Professor Simon Pearce and Dr Tim Cheetham. "Some people are taking the safe sun message too far," Pearce said. "It's good to have 20 to 30 minutes of exposure to the sun two to three times a week, after which you can put on a hat or sunscreen.
...So there you have it, over-protective parents who are worried about the sun shining on little Johnny. These parents think they are protecting their children by keeping them indoors out of the way from the shining sun. The benefits of getting some sun have been known for centuries now yet some parents shield their children away from it. Getting sunburn is dangerous but getting weathered is natural and it is nature's way of producing Vitamin D in all human beings. Children's lives are so sheltered now, their physical and mental health is at risk from the actions of risk-averse parents.
Computer-obsessed children who spend too long indoors and over-anxious parents who slap on excessive sunscreen are contributing to a sharp rise in cases of the bone disease rickets, doctors are warning. Vitamin D deficiency, which causes the condition, is synthesised in the body by absorption of sunlight. Some comes from foods such as fish oil. People with darker skins need more sunlight to top up their vitamin D levels. There are several hundred cases of the preventable condition among children in the UK every year, according to a clinical review paper in the British Medical Journal by Professor Simon Pearce and Dr Tim Cheetham. "Some people are taking the safe sun message too far," Pearce said. "It's good to have 20 to 30 minutes of exposure to the sun two to three times a week, after which you can put on a hat or sunscreen.
...So there you have it, over-protective parents who are worried about the sun shining on little Johnny. These parents think they are protecting their children by keeping them indoors out of the way from the shining sun. The benefits of getting some sun have been known for centuries now yet some parents shield their children away from it. Getting sunburn is dangerous but getting weathered is natural and it is nature's way of producing Vitamin D in all human beings. Children's lives are so sheltered now, their physical and mental health is at risk from the actions of risk-averse parents.
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