Effect of sunlight on vitamin D and hemoglobin levels among the residents of Ningbo, China.

PURPOSE: this study investigated the effect of sunlight on vitamin D and hemoglobin levels among the residents of Ningbo, China. The impact of gender, age, and season on vitamin D and hemoglobin levels was also explored.

METHODS: a total of 8,481 research subjects, including 5,146 men and 3,335 women, who were permanent residents of Ningbo and received health checkups at Ningbo Second Hospital, were included in the study. Ningbo City climate bulletin data from 2019 to 2022 was also included.

RESULTS: the study subjects received an average of 132.20 ± 40.05 h of sunlight exposure per month and had average vitamin D levels of 19.63 ± 6.61 ng/ml. Hemoglobin levels were adequate in 85.4 % of the participants and deficient in 14.6 %. Sunlight exposure correlated positively with vitamin D and negatively with hemoglobin levels. Regression analysis indicated that gender, age, and season affected vitamin D and hemoglobin levels to different degrees.

CONCLUSION: in Ningbo, vitamin D deficiency was common in adults while hemoglobin levels were mostly normal. The amount of sunlight exposure had a significant effect on vitamin D and hemoglobin levels and this relationship was impacted by gender, age, and season.