Blondes might have more fun, but now researchers are saying redheads are probably healthier.
Experts have speculated that people with red hair have a genetic advantage in gloomy climates, like our own, because they soak up more sun, creating more vitamin D in low-light conditions than their peers with darker hair or sin.
Vitamin D is often dubbed the sunshine vitamin because the body produces it in response to sun exposure. It’s also found in fortified dairy and cereals, fatty fish and egg yolks.
The research shows that pale skinned people are the most efficient at making vitamin D from their time in the sun whereas dark-skinned people take longer to make the same amount. Studies show African Americans who avoid sunshine and eat a vitamin D deficient diet tend to have much lower levels of the vitamin in their blood than people with paler skin.
Dieticians see this deficiency in vitamin D as a health hazard.
“Low vitamin D levels are linked to all sorts of health problems including bone density los, diabetes and arthritis,” dietician Farrell Harris says.
Farrell Harris says a fair skinned person might benefit from 10-15 minutes of daily sun exposure, but someone with a lot of skin pigmentation might need several hours to absorb adequate amounts of the vitamin.
Harris stressed the fact that it is not responsible to making such recommendations because of a skin cancer risk.
It is extremely difficult to get enough vitamin D from diet alone.
Supplements can make up the difference, but everyone should pay a visit to their doctor before they start popping pills.
“If you’re low in vitamin D, your doctor can recommend the appropriate amount of supplementation you need,” Harris said. “In some cases that may require mega-dosing but you definitely don’t want to self-prescribe.”
