the relationship between ultraviolet radiation exposure and vitamin d status紫外线辐射和维生素d状态之间的关系.pdfVIP

Nutrients 2010, 2, 482-495; doi:10.3390/nu2050482 OPEN ACCESS nutrients ISSN 2072-6643 /journal/nutrients Review The Relationship between Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure and Vitamin D Status Ola Engelsen Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), The Polar Environmental Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway; E-Mail: ola.engelsen@nilu.no Received: 1 March 2010; in revised form: 14 April 2010 / Accepted: 20 April 2010 / Published: 4 May 2010 Abstract: This paper reviews the main factors influencing the synthesis of vitamin D, with particular focus on ultraviolet radiation exposure. On the global level, the main source of vitamin D is the sun. The effect of solar radiation on vitamin D synthesis depends to some extent on the initial vitamin D levels. At moderate to high latitudes, diet becomes an increasingly important source of vitamin D due to decreased solar intensity and cold temperatures, which discourage skin exposure. During the mid-winter season, these factors result in decreased solar radiation exposure, hindering extensively the synthesis of vitamin D in these populations. Keywords: vitamin D; ultraviolet; UV; sun 1. Introduction Vitamin D is an important nutrient for maintaining a healthy skeleton as it forms an integral part of the bone metabolism, calcium and phosphor homeostasis [1]. There are indications that vitamin D may have several other health benefits such as prevention or mitigation of cancer [2] and autoimmune diseases [3