- Number of intestinal diseases has increased
- How the study was conducted
- Sun exposure has the same effects as supplementation
- UVB therapy could be new treatment for intestinal diseases
A new study carried out in Canada, by researchers at the University of British Columbia, was the first to confirm that exposure of the skin to sunlight, particularly to UVB rays, can have an important impact on intestinal flora, contributing to a better quality of intestinal bacteria species.
With this discovery, the researchers intend that new tests be carried out to implement exposure to UVB rays as a new form of treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease or colitis, since they are diseases where there is a change in the whole intestinal flora.
Number of intestinal diseases has increased
In the last few decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of people with inflammatory bowel diseases in the more developed countries, which has been linked to changes in lifestyle, as well as a less natural diet. Among these countries, the Nordic countries are those that have shown a higher incidence of this type of disease, which raised the hypothesis that sun exposure, and the consequent low production of vitamin D, could also affect the health of the intestine.
Based on this assumption, several studies have been carried out in recent years with the aim of proving that the amount of vitamin D in the body is directly related to a significant improvement in the intestinal flora, which ended up being confirmed. From these conclusions, vitamin D supplementation has been considered as a treatment option for some intestinal diseases.
Since vitamin D produced by the skin itself is better used by the body, than that eaten in the diet, researchers at the University of British Columbia decided to study the impact of UVB radiation as a new and better option for the treatment of intestinal diseases, since this type of radiation is primarily responsible for the production of vitamin D in the skin.
How the study was conducted
The study included a sample of 21 volunteers, apparently healthy, who underwent several experiments to understand the influence of UVB rays on the alteration of intestinal flora. First, this group was divided into two sub-groups: VDS-, which included women who had not supplemented with vitamin D in the previous winter, and VDS +, which included women who had supplemented.
In each group, a stool sample was collected from each woman, in order to assess the diversity of intestinal bacteria before exposure to radiation. Then, both groups were exposed to UVB rays in a controlled environment, 3 times over a week. Finally, a new sample was taken to perform a new stool examination, in order to assess whether any changes had occurred in the diversity of the intestinal flora of each woman.
Sun exposure has the same effects as supplementation
After the first stool examination, carried out before exposure to UVB rays, the researchers found that women who supplemented with vitamin D had a more diverse and rich intestinal flora than women who had not supplemented, supporting the findings made in previous studies.
In the second exam, done after the exposure of the two groups to UVB radiation, the researchers observed that women who had not been supplemented and, therefore, had a less diversified flora initially, showed a very significant improvement in the amount of intestinal species., which was similar to that of women who had supplemented with vitamin D.
Thus, exposure to radiation seems to be a good alternative to supplementation, since it was able to obtain the same type of results in just three sessions of exposure to UVB rays.
UVB therapy could be new treatment for intestinal diseases
Based on the results obtained with this study, the researchers suggested carrying out new studies in order to understand whether controlled exposure to UVB rays can, in fact, be a new, faster and easier solution to alleviate the symptoms of various inflammatory bowel diseases., such as Crohn's disease or colitis.
