Too many people are earning an F on their vitamin D.<\/p>\n
A study published in Nutrition Research<\/a> found that 41.6% of American adults are deficient in it, and that number climbs even higher for certain groups \u2014 82.1% for Black people, 69.2% for Hispanics.<\/p>\n Vitamin D is essential for your body to function, and not getting enough of it can cause fatigue, mood issues like depression or anxiety, and impaired immunity. Long term, you\u2019re looking at problems with bone health, muscle function and susceptibility to chronic diseases.<\/p>\n So how do we fix it? Some people make the case for more SPF-free time in the sun<\/a>, skin cancer risks be damned. Many doctors recommend supplements<\/a>. There are food sources<\/a>, but it\u2019s difficult to get enough<\/a> from them.<\/p>\n Now, a new company is touting the \u201chealth benefits of personalized sunlight,\u201d saying their FDA-cleared device delivers just UVB wavelengths \u2014 not UVA, which make up 95% of the sun\u2019s UV rays \u2014 directly to the skin.<\/p>\n The Solius Pro delivers a personalized dose of UVB to the back, once a week. Solius<\/p>\n Why we need vitamin D in the first place \u2014 and how much we should get<\/p>\n Vitamin D helps \u201cthe body to absorb calcium and phosphorus, both of which are essential for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth,\u201d family medicine doctor Dr. Brynna Connor, a Healthcare Ambassador at NorthWestPharmacy.com<\/a>, told The Post.<\/p>\n Getting enough becomes \u201ceven more important as we age, helping to ward off health issues such as osteopenia and osteoporosis, rickets and overall weakness.\u201d Connor also points to benefits for the immune system, muscle and nerve function, and reduction of inflammation.<\/p>\n Most adults need 600 to 800 IU daily. If you\u2019re hoping to get that directly from sunlight, though, it\u2019s hard to tell how much sun you need.<\/p>\n \u201cIt depends on your skin tone, how much surface area is exposed, the time of day, the season, where you live, and more,\u201d Dr. Geeta Yadav<\/a>, a dermatologist and founder of FACET Dermatology<\/a> told The Post.<\/p>\n A new way to dose sunlight<\/p>\n Those different needs are among the problems that Solius Labs<\/a> hopes to solve with their Solius Pro<\/a>, a light therapy panel that\u2019s used for about five minutes, once a week.<\/p>\n The system measures the user\u2019s skin tone before each session to dose the appropriate amount of UVB, which is what stimulates vitamin D production in our bodies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt provides a way to access the biological health benefits associated with sunlight while dramatically reducing unnecessary UV exposure,\u201d explained CEO Chris Kiple.<\/p>\n There are two kinds of UV exposure: UVA and UVB. While both contribute to the development of skin cancer, UVA is responsible for things like premature skin aging and wrinkles, while UVB is to blame for sunburns.<\/p>\n The device and a lifetime membership cost $2995 for a limited time, Solius<\/p>\n UVA has nothing to do with vitamin D production, though \u2014 that\u2019s all UVB. So by isolating UVB light in the Solius Pro, the company says it can give \u201ccontrolled, consistent and personalized\u201d UV exposure to help the body make more vitamin D while cutting down on some of the risks. <\/p>\n They also say they\u2019ve got a one-up on supplements, because pills have to be digested, while light acts directly on the skin.<\/p>\n The device<\/a> (and a lifetime membership) costs $2995 for a limited time. After, there will be a $10 monthly membership, or $100 annual charge.<\/p>\n Is it safe?<\/p>\n Besides calibrating the appropriate dosage, the device won\u2019t work if you\u2019re not wearing protective eyewear. <\/p>\n It also \u201ccontinuously monitors positioning and distance,\u201d Kiple said, and users are prompted to provide feedback on how their skin responded after each session \u2014 so future doses can be automatically adjusted.<\/p>\n And you can\u2019t overuse it: Once a session is completed, the system locks out for a time.<\/p>\n There are two kinds of UV exposure: UVA and UVB. While both contribute to the development of skin cancer, UVA is responsible for things like premature skin aging and wrinkles, while UVB is to blame for sunburns. soupstock \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cAll of these safeguards were validated through multiple third-party human clinical studies<\/a>, where Solius demonstrated safe delivery 100% of the time of personalized UVB light therapy without erythema, skin irritation or adverse events,\u201d Kiple said.<\/p>\n These measures made it possible for the FDA to create an entirely new product code (SGZ<\/a>) for Solius. The device is cleared by the FDA for over-the-counter use in people 22 and older.<\/p>\n So\u2026 do you need one?<\/p>\n This UVB tech isn\u2019t actually new \u2014 but the fact that it\u2019s being touted as a vitamin D booster (and that you can get it over the counter) is. <\/p>\n Solius reports that users saw a 76% increase in vitamin D on average, but that\u2019s \u201conly part of the story.\u201d They also say the treatment can improve metabolism, immune function, cardio health and mood.<\/p>\n UVB helps make vitamin D. Other ways to get it are through sunlight exposure, diet and supplements. mary_markevich \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Dermatologist we spoke to aren\u2019t totally sure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve used narrowband UVB phototherapy for years to treat conditions like psoriasis and eczema, so the underlying technology is legitimate and well understood,\u201d Yadav said. \u201cThe question is whether it\u2019s the right tool for vitamin D, and for most healthy people, it isn\u2019t the one I\u2019d reach for first.\u201d<\/p>\n UVB directly damages skin cell DNA, Yadav said. And when treating skin disease, it\u2019s used under supervision, \u201cnot as a wellness tool or a vitamin D booster \u2026 This device is borrowing the credibility of medical phototherapy for a very different and far less established goal.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Viktoryia Kazlouskaya, a dermatologist and an owner of Dermatology Circle PLLC clinic<\/a>, agrees.<\/p>\n \u201cFor most healthy people, I don\u2019t think a specialized UVB panel is necessary,\u201d she said. \u201cMy broader concern is that we\u2019re increasingly turning normal aspects of healthy living into medical devices \u2026 We should remember that UV radiation is still UV radiation, and no ultraviolet exposure is completely risk-free.\u201d<\/p>\n Yadav says she\u2019d suggest vitamin D supplements, which don\u2019t have any risk of UVB exposure. Solius\u2019 counterpoint is that a swallowed supplement is processed by the liver and kidneys and can be met with \u201cmalabsorption challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n Connor, meanwhile, recommends getting vitamin D from whole foods: \u201cThe best sources of vitamin D from food include fatty fish, such as salmon, trout, and tuna, egg yolks, and beef liver.\u201d<\/p>\n If you want to go the supplement route, consult your doctor, which may include a blood test to check vitamin D levels, she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Too many people are earning an F on their vitamin D. A study published in Nutrition Research found…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":576877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[277],"tags":[18,4500,135,19,17,21723,508,17135,50500,753,5605,2555],"class_list":["post-576876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-eire","tag-exclusive","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-medical-devices","tag-nutrition","tag-sun","tag-sunscreen","tag-tech","tag-vitamins","tag-wellness"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116890129207153625","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}