How do we get Vitamin D from the sun?
Brains On! Science podcast for kids
This episode of Brains On! explores how the human body gets vitamin D from sunlight, explaining the science behind sun exposure, sunscreen u
Key takeaways
- Vitamin D is essential for health but can be obtained through both sunlight and food sources.
- UV rays from the sun help produce vitamin D in the skin, but excessive exposure can damage DNA and cause sunburns.
Main topics
- Vitamin D synthesis through sun exposure
- The role of sunscreen in protecting skin from UV damage
Notable quotes
Our bodies need vitamins and minerals to do all the things that we need to do.
Conclusion
While sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D, it's safer to rely on food
Transcript preview
Speaker 6 (0:12) You're listening to Brains On, where we're serious about being curious. Speaker 6 (0:17) You've probably heard that it's important to eat a variety of foods. And you've probably heard that it's important to wear sunscreen. But how are those two pieces of good advice connected? Speaker 5 (0:29) Could it be that those pieces of advice are second cousins twice removed? Speaker 6 (0:35) Or maybe they went to high school together. Or perhaps Speaker 5 (0:38) they sat next to each other on an airplane and high-fived when they both asked the flight attendant for ginger ale? Speaker 6 (0:43) Or maybe those pieces of advice are both connected to vitamin D, which is the topic of this episode. We'll Speaker 5 (0:50) find out in just a bit. So keep listening. Speaker 2 (0:59) Hey, Sandon here. It's that time of year where lots of kids are going back to school, which is fun, but also kind of overwhelming, right? I mean, you might be wondering, will I like my new teacher? Will they like me? Will I make new friends or still get along with my old ones? And what about getting around a whole new building? Well, we're here to help. If you're part of Smarty Pass, we've got a bonus back to school episode just for you. We've got some experts joining us to answer listener questions about starting the new school year. Just check your Smarty Pass feed to find it. And if you're not part of Smarty Pass, join now to support us and get bonus episodes. Just head to smartypass.org to sign up. Thanks, and good luck with the new school year. Speaker 5 (1:58) You're listening to Brains On, part of the Brains On universe. I'm Molly Bloom, and my co-host today is Sutton from Tallahassee, Florida. Hi, Sutton. Hey, Molly. So, Sutton, you sent us the question that we are answering today. Speaker 6 (2:11) Yeah, I wrote in with this one. How do our bodies absorb vitamin D from the sun? Great Speaker 5 (2:16) question. So, vitamins are super important for our health. So, I'm wondering, Sutton, how did you come up with this question? Speaker 6 (2:23) I was walking with my dad one day. And I looked at the sun and I was like, how do our bodies absorb vitamin D from the sun? Speaker 5 (2:31) Very good. Where had you heard about our bodies absorbing vitamin D? Speaker 6 (2:36) I don't know. Maybe at school. Okay. Speaker 5 (2:39) And so you're in Florida. You have lots of sun there. I think it's the sunshine state, right? So do you spend a lot of time in the sun? Yes, very much. So how do you protect yourself from the sun? Speaker 6 (2:51) I use sunscreen. Speaker 5 (2:53) And have you ever gotten a sunburn before? Speaker 6 (2:56) Yeah, a very bad sunburn. One time I was fishing with my dad and I got sunburned on my shoulders. Speaker 5 (3:02) Oof. How did it feel? Speaker 6 (3:03) Not good. Speaker 5 (3:04) Yeah, sunburns hurt. I've gotten a couple really bad sunburns in my life. So after that, you're like, I'm going to put sunscreen on. Maybe wear a shirt. Speaker 6 (3:13) Yeah. Speaker 5 (3:19) So let's shed some light on this topic. There's a lot wrapped up in that simple question you asked, so let's break it down bit by bit. We'll start with this. Speaker 6 (3:30) What's a vitamin anyway? Speaker 5 (3:32) Vitamins are something your body needs to do its body thing, like growing and staying alive. Speaker 6 (3:38) But your body doesn't make its own vitamins. So Speaker 5 (3:41) we need to get vitamins from food. Speaker 6 (3:44) Your body needs minerals, too. Those are like vitamins. They're things your body needs to stay alive and stay healthy. You Speaker 5 (3:52) may have heard of some of these minerals. They are things like potassium, iron, and sodium. Speaker 6 (3:57) Like vitamins, we get these minerals from the food we eat. Speaker 5 (4:01) We call both vitamins and minerals nutrients. They Speaker 6 (4:05) help our bodies do the things we need to do. Speaker 5 (4:08) Now, let's meet the vitamins. Speaker 6 (4:15) Vitamins have letter names. Vitamin A, vitamin B. Speaker 5 (4:18) Vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E. And obviously, the next is... Vitamin K. Speaker 6 (4:25) Okay, you're probably like, um, what happened to vitamin F? Speaker 5 (4:30) Doesn't F come after E? Speaker 6 (4:32) You'd think, but no. So why are the vitamins named like this? It will make sense in a minute, promise. Speaker 5 (4:39) We didn't know what vitamins were for most of history, but a little over 100 years ago, scientists discovered them while trying to solve a problem. Speaker 6 (4:52) The problem was this. Sailors on big ships would be out to sea for months at a time, and these sailors kept getting sick. Scientists had a hunch they were getting Speaker 5 (5:02) sick because of what they were eating. Speaker 6 (5:04) Or rather, what they weren't eating. Speaker 5 (5:07) Yeah, because sailors were at sea for a long time, they had limited food options. For example, it was hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables. But what was Speaker 6 (5:17) it about these foods that kept them healthy? Scientists started doing experiments looking at different kinds of foods. Speaker 5 (5:24) They found a kind of molecule in these foods that hadn't been identified before. Molecules are the teeny building blocks of everything. Speaker 6 (5:33) A scientist from Poland came up with the name for this new kind of molecule, vitamins. And Speaker 5 (5:39) that scientist was named Casimir Funk. Speaker 3 (5:44) Hey there. I bet you didn't think a chemist could be this funky. But if you did, you'd be right on. Here's how I came up with the name vitamin. Vita is Latin for life. Amin means molecule containing nitrogen. Pretty cool. Life-giving molecules that have nitrogen in them. Put it together and you get Speaker 4 (6:13) vitamin. Speaker 3 (6:16) That's right. Back in the early 1900s, I found one of these vitamins. To be clear, the first one I found had nitrogen in it, which is why I gave it that name. They don't all have nitrogen, though. No way. Speaker 4 (6:35) And Speaker 3 (6:36) it wasn't just me discovering them. Come on now,