Can't you supplement calcium by sunbathing through glass?

Since childhood, we have often seen calcium supplements in advertisements.

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Calcium exists in the human body mainly in the form of calcium salts. As the most abundant metal element in the human body, calcium plays a very important role in our growth, development and health.

Calcium is mainly found in human bones and teeth , serving as a support for our bodies. A small amount is also found in body fluids, playing a role in regulating heart rate, hormone secretion, and balancing osmotic pressure.

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Calcium is also the basic raw material for bone development and has a direct impact on height. Therefore, many people often take calcium tablets to supplement calcium when they are young, with the purpose of growing taller. Many elderly people also suffer from osteoporosis caused by calcium loss due to aging, so they are also users of calcium tablets.

When supplementing calcium, doctors also advise people to get more sun exposure. But in the cold winter, people are afraid of the cold, so they simply stay at home and go to the balcony to get some sun exposure through a glass.

However, can sunbathing through glass really help you supplement calcium? Today, let's learn about the relationship between sunbathing and calcium supplementation, and learn the "correct posture" for sunbathing.

1. Can sunbathing replenish calcium? Is there calcium in the sun?

First of all, we need to know that the principle of supplementing calcium through sunbathing is not that sunlight contains calcium.

Here, we need to mention an organic compound called vitamin D. They are trace nutrients needed by organisms during their growth. Generally, organisms cannot produce them themselves and need to obtain them through external diet. They play an important regulatory role in the life activities of organisms.

Vitamin D is found in foods such as eggs and milk.

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Vitamin D is the only "outlier" in this family that can be synthesized in small amounts by the human body. Its role is to promote the synthesis of intestinal calcium-binding proteins to promote the absorption of calcium in the renal tubules, intestines and other parts, thereby increasing the retention of calcium in the body and keeping the calcium content in the blood normal.

As can be seen from the above, vitamin D has a great impact on the health of human bones. Children who lack vitamin D during their growth and development will suffer from a series of diseases that affect their health, such as bone deformities and rickets. Elderly people who lack vitamin D will have a decrease in bone density, which may lead to problems such as fractures. Sunbathing can increase the amount of vitamin D in the human body, thereby accelerating the absorption of calcium in diet and medicines, and ensuring human health.

Sunlight contains ultraviolet rays that can promote the synthesis of vitamin D. It irradiates the human skin and converts 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3. After being absorbed into the blood, it is metabolized by the liver and kidneys, acts on the intestines and bones, and promotes calcium absorption.

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At the same time, the penetration ability of this kind of ultraviolet rays is relatively weak. If you go to the sun through the glass indoors, part of the ultraviolet rays will be absorbed by the glass, which will greatly reduce the synthesis of vitamin D , so that the sunbathing will be ineffective.

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2. Do you really know how to sunbathe correctly?

Therefore, if you want to bask in the sun, you should try to go outdoors and have a "close contact" with the bright sunshine. However, for the elderly and children, outdoor activities are somewhat difficult. In addition, with the accelerated pace of life, indoor living, urbanization and other problems, modern people go out less and less. But even if you bask in the sun at home, it is still recommended that you open the windows to let the sun shine on your body.

Although sunbathing helps calcium absorption, it is not advisable to overexpose yourself to the sun. The ultraviolet rays in the sun can cause harm to the human body. Excessive exposure to the sun can easily turn moles into melanomas and even cause skin cancer. Therefore, if you want to meet the body's need to produce vitamin D, you only need to stay in the sun for about ten minutes a day. If it is a hot summer day, you can shorten the time to five minutes.

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At the same time, you should also take adequate protection before sunbathing. You can wear sunglasses to prevent your eyes from being sunburned, and remember to wear a sun hat in hot seasons. Be careful not to expose a large area of ​​your body. You don't need to sunbathe completely naked to synthesize vitamin D. You only need to wear short sleeves and shorts. You should cover up the parts of your body with moles as much as possible to prevent them from turning into melanoma after sunbathing.

Also, some people will apply sunscreen before sunbathing. Applying sunscreen can block and absorb ultraviolet rays, thereby preventing ultraviolet rays from being absorbed by the skin. In this way, melanin will not be produced, which will have a whitening effect. But at the same time, ultraviolet rays cannot be absorbed by the skin, so a series of chemical reactions cannot occur, vitamin D cannot be generated, and calcium absorption cannot be promoted.

Applying sunscreen is not conducive to calcium supplementation

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Nowadays, a fast-paced lifestyle has become the norm, and people are paying more and more attention to health issues. Health is the foundation of life, and I hope everyone can live happily and healthily under the bright sunshine.