Well It has been a very exciting week in Food & Nutrition Class. Once again we embarked on a topic that captivated the class and raised a lot of questions. We have been talking about a little known mental disorder called SAD — also know as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It seems that during the winter months with shorter days and lack of sunlight a lot more people become mildly depressed. But for those suffering with SAD, the winter months can be devastating. We learned that our bodies take in the sunlight with certain UVA & UVB rays and transform them into a much needed vitamin that has shown significant improvement in the treatment of SAD. And that vitamin is… Vitamin D. Yes, good old vitamin D. It is in some foods but most of the time vitamin D is fortified into many products. Below is a web site article that I found from the Vitamin D Council that explains the significance of sunlight and vitamin D together and how these effect those suffering with the symptoms of SAD. Enjoy.
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/depression.shtml
