Holidaying abroad is good for your health, say Scots scientists

For years the rise of cheap package deals to sunkisses beaches have been linked to an increase in skin cancer.

But in a fresh twist, a study focusing on the residents of a Scottish island have found those who holiday abroad enjoy higher levels of vitamin D - which offers wide ranging health benefits.

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Researchers at Edinburgh University, looking to explain why rates of multiple sclerosis are higher in Orkney than almost anywhere else in the world, checked vitamin D levels in blood samples taken from around 2000 of the islands' inhabitants.

They were surprised to find levels were higher in the island population than on the mainland. The body creates vitamin D when skin is directly exposed to sunlight and there is growing evidence that lacking what is sometimes called the "sunshine vitamin" increases the risk of MS.

When the researchers looked in more detail at their findings, they realised that the higher levels of vitamin D were being found in Orkney's older residents.

These included people who were holidaying abroad and farmers.

Emily Weiss, researcher on the project, said they dubbed it "the Saga effect and the farmer effect."

She explained: "When we probed the higher levels of vitamin D we found they were among the older population that tended to be going away on holiday. They had a bit more freedom with children away at university and a bit more cash... The farmers were not going away as much. We think they just tended to be outside a lot more than the average person. That means when there is a nice bit of sunshine they are really making full use of it."

None of those included in the study had high levels of vitamin D, which is considered sufficient at a measurement in excess of 50 nmol per litre of blood. However, the holiday makers were registering levels over 40 nmol and the farmers 35. Mrs Weiss said: "Other people who did not go on foreign holidays and were not farmers were under 30. That is significantly less than the farmers."

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Some people were highly deficient, with levels below 12.5.

Mrs Weiss said as the farmers in the study tended to be older it suggested "the traditional way of life is changing, leaving younger people potentially more exposed to MS risk factors such as vitamin D deficiency.”

The study, funded by the Shetland and Orkney MS Project and published in the journal PLoS One, is part of the long term Orkney Complex Disease Study (ORCADES). This is looking at the genetic make-up of the population and how it may influence their risk of common diseases. Around 2000 people, a tenth of the population, are participants.

Professor Jim Wilson, who leads that study at Edinburgh University’s Usher Institute, said: "It was surprising to see that levels of vitamin D were not worse in Orkney, and if anything they were better than in mainland Scotland. It would appear that poor vitamin D status, while common enough, cannot explain the excess of multiple sclerosis we see in Orkney."

It is known that vitamin D promotes good bone health. It has also been linked to lower blood pressure, reduced heart disease risk and better chances of surviving cancer.

While deficiency in vitamin D has been strongly linked to diseases including multiple sclerosis, studies have yet to prove it is responsible.

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Sunlight being the main source of vitamin D and also the main cause of skin cancer has caused some debate about the best advice when it comes to hot weather.

Skin cancer rates have also soared, with new data showing a 22% increase in diagnoses of malignant melanoma of the skin in the last 10 years in Scotland.

Fiona Osgun, senior health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “Most people should be able to make enough vitamin D from short trips out in the sun while going about their daily life. To help protect your skin from too much sun, spend time in the shade when the sun is strong, cover up with clothing, and use sunscreen with at least SPF 15 and 4 or more stars for the parts you can’t cover.”