Underscoring the biological importance of adequate UV exposure, an article Monday in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette discusses a researcher’s conclusion that the skin color of humans evolved over thousands of years primarily as a mechanism to regulate the absorption of sunlight and thus vitamin D.

Penn State University anthropology professor Nina Jablonski’s research shows that the skin color of ancient people corresponded to the amount of sunshine available in the regions in which they settled.

“The short version: Our skin color is primarily designed to regulate how much sunlight we let into our bodies to produce vitamin D, which is important for bone health, safe pregnancies and a strong immune system. In a related way, it also keeps too much ultraviolet radiation from destroying folate in women’s bodies, which can lead to certain birth defects,” the article explains.

However, the natural process has been thrown off by modern mobility. Technology has made it easy for humans relocate anywhere in the world, creating an unintended disparity between their skin color and natural sun resistance. Compounding that issue is another modern phenomenon, urbanization, which means people are now spending much less time outdoors.

“You’ve got people from England moving to Australia; people from West Africa moving to Finland. You have this dramatic movement of people to environments to which they are poorly adapted from a solar perspective, Jablonski told the Post-Gazette. “[…] If you’re a darkly pigmented person living in a far northern place or living in a city and not getting much sun exposure, though, then we are not addressing the problem of likely vitamin D deficiency.”

These developments are having a profound effect, particularly on people with darker skin  suited for high levels of sun exposure but are now receiving far less exposure due to their location and lifestyle. Jablonski points specifically to her research in South Africa, showing that among dark-skinned individuals, those who spend more time indoors have lower vitamin D levels and weaker immune systems.

Click here to read the article from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.

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