Scientists have concluded that a lack of exposure to UVB during pregnancy can be a cause for a child’s learning disability. Sunlight gives the essential nutrient, vitamin D, and many of the kids were found to be deficient in this vitamin. Getting some sun while you’re pregnant isn’t just for the tan, but it is for your baby’s health.

There are different ultraviolet rays that reach the Earth from the sun, and knowing the difference between them is important for your health. Most are damaging to our skin, so it’s important to always take precautions regardless of the benefits. Both UVB and UVA rays will cause sunburns when your skin is unprotected, but UVA rays penetrate more deeply—contributing more to premature skin aging and skin cancer formation. Even when you’re out getting some sun, it’s important to go outside ready and protected.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow published a study in the Scientific Reports detailing that a pregnant woman’s exposure to sunshine is linked with their children’s likelihood of developing a learning disability. The report suggests that UVB exposure had a direct link with the production of vitamin D, and it affected the development of the child’s brain. Of the 422,512 children in the study, 79,616 (18.8%) had a learning disability.

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The report also found that there was a slightly stronger relationship between low UVB exposure and the brain development in the first trimester of the pregnancy. This suggests that sunlight exposure for the first few weeks of pregnancy are the most vital. Other than this phase, during the baby’s antenatal period, they go through rapid development and growth—making the fetus very susceptible to environmental exposures. Whatever the mom does during this period will have long-term consequences on the baby.

The low UVB ray exposure also makes sense for the place where the study was conducted. Vitamin D deficiency is more common during Scotland’s winter months, and this is consistent for most countries in high latitudes. The Scottish are more likely to lack vitamin D than their other counterparts in the UK. For this reason, it’s important for pregnant women in these areas to get safe sun exposure as much as they can. Vitamin D supplements are also a good idea for the winter months.

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