UK Edition
Why parents should take their babies on a winter 'sun holiday'
Researchers found exposing a child to sunshine in their first six months of life reduced their chances of obesity
Parents should take their children on a two-and-a-half-week winter sun holiday to reduce their risk of obesity, a UCL study has found.
The researchers from UCL and Institute of Employment Research found the amount of sun children got in their first six months of life had a significant impact on their chances of becoming obese.
The exposure to sunlight early in their life was critical to generating vitamin D, where deficiencies have been scientifically linked to obesity.
The academics found that babies who had 100 hours more sunshine in the first six months after birth - equivalent to a two-and-a-half week holiday in winter to a sunshine destination - reduced their chances of being overweight or obese at the age of six.
The research, based on the analysis of 600,000 children, found the extra early dose of sunshine cut the chance of being overweight at six by 1.1 per cent and of severe obesity by six per cent. The analysis took account of the time of the year in which they were born to filter out the effect.
“The first six months after birth are the most sensitive period for vitamin D to prevent later obesity most likely because at this age lactation is highest and infants rapidly gain weight and adipose tissue develops,” said the researchers.
Adipose tissue is a central metabolic organ in the human body that regulates how efficiently and effectively the body burns energy.
The first six months of life was critical as the researchers found the amount of sunlight appeared to have little impact during pregnancy or after six months.
“More exposure to sunlight in the first six months of life has a preventive effect on obesity at age six,” said UCL Professor Christian Dustmann, one of the authors of the study.
“Our analysis provides strong support for vitamin D supplementation in the first year for mothers and their newborn children, which is an easy way to reduce obesity later in life”.
Depending on their exact birth date and the region where they were born, these children were exposed to different sun intensities in the first year of their life.
The researcher used this variation in sunshine hours while holding constant potentially confounding factors such as year of birth, month of birth and district of birth.