The sunshine vitamin moonlights as a comedian

Do you like to see the sun everyday ? Do you find your mood turns grey when clouds obscure it ?

For me, no sun puts a real negative spin on the day.

The connection between your sinking mood and sun absence, may not be simply in your head, it could be in your chemistry.

Sun derived happiness

The sun has a myriad of roles, as the centre piece of our solar system.

It serves as our ultimate provider, providing the energy that ensures food manufacture via the process of photosynthesis
It keeps us warm, without roasting us into frizzled flesh
And it converts cholesterol in our skin into vitamin D. Vitamin D is a very busy hormone / vitamin – it builds bones, immune systems and keeps blood vessels bending like Beckam.

Research from UT Southwestern suggests it also tickles the funny bone.

Vitamin D levels are down in the depressed

Analyzing the data collected by the Cooper Institute, over a 4 year period (from 2006 to 2010), the team compared the vitamin D status of 12 600 people, to their overall frame of mind.

What the scientists found, was that the level of misery (aka depression) was strongly correlated with their vitamin D status. People who had higher levels of vitamin D, were significantly less likely to be depressed.

The chicken or the egg ?

At this stage the jury is still out as to whether low vitamin D levels contribute to the blues, or the blues, contribute to low vitamin D levels.

I’m leaning towards low vitamin D levels contribute to the blues, although at this stage the how is elusive, but since vitamin D is a master switch regulating upwards of 200 genes, it is probably only a matter of time before the how is unravelled.

One of the factors suggesting vitamin D contributes directly to the blues, is the existence of the condition known as SAD (seasonal affective disorder). SAD is the grand name given to the blues associated with changes in season, typically transitions that involve winter. The stand out thing about winter transitions is NO REAL SUN. No real sun, creates the low levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D comedy club

Lots of people are running short on vitamin D, because they’re catching sight of the sun, but not actually spending enough time in the sun. Seeing the sun maybe able to lift the spirits, but you have to be in the sun, to lift the chemistry.

So if you’re feeling blue, stop by the vitamin D comedy club, either sun tan, minus the sun block for a few minutes each day or supplement.

Vitamin D’s hilarious antics, could help chase away those blues. Even if the jokes are not funny enough to keep you chuckling all day, the dose of vitamin D will get the rest of your body smiling a little.

LOL !

Low vitamin D levels linked to depression, UT Southwestern psychiatrists report – press release from UT Southwestern Medical Centre

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