The inhabitants of the Orkney archipelago, in the north of Scotland, are deficient in vitamin D except the farmers and… those who go on vacation abroad!
In the far north of Scotland, there is a region not bathed in the sun: the Orkney Islands. Planted around the 59e parallel North, these islands experience the worst Scottish weather: in darkness in winter and often under clouds in summer. But surprisingly, its people have vitamin D levels above the country’s (very low) average, according to a study by the University of Edinburgh and published in PLOS ONE. They would be picked up by farmers, and people over 60 … who often go abroad!
Orkney is the region of the world with the highest rate of multiple sclerosis, higher than other northern areas in Canada and Scandinavia. The geographical peculiarity of these islands has led scientists to believe that the lack of vitamin D may be the cause of the unusual incidence of the disease. They then measured the concentration in more than 2000 Orcadians (10% of the local population), and the results contradicted their hypothesis.
Healthy vacations
“It’s surprising that vitamin D levels were not worse in Orkney – and even higher – than in the rest of Scotland,” reports Dr Jim Wilson, who conducted the study at the University of Edinburgh. Vitamin D deficiencies, even frequent, are therefore not sufficient to explain the overrepresentation of multiple sclerosis in Orkney. “
Emily Weiss, a doctoral student involved in the research, adds that “it is interesting to note that agriculture was associated with higher levels of vitamin D in the blood of Orcadians, presumably because the farmers live outside and profit from the slightest little window of sunlight ”.
Because the sun is at the origin of the production of this vitamin. When exposed to natural light, the skin synthesizes vitamin D, associated with better bone strength, reduced risk of hypertension, heart disease and better cancer survival. The Scots’ secret weapon to fight the national vitamin D deficiency and its harmful effects on health would therefore be simple: to go on vacation abroad, far from the clouds and the rain.
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