Winter sun urged for babies to prevent obesity

Parents should take their children on a two-and-a-half-week winter sun holiday to reduce their risk of obesity, a UCL study has found.

Researchers at UCL’S Institute of Employment Research found the amount of sun a child is exposed to the first six months significantly cuts their risk of becoming obese because sunlight in early life is critical to generating vitamin D, a lack of which has been linked to obesity.

The study maintains that 100 more hours of sunshine in a newborn’s first six months – equivalent to a two-and-ahalf week sunshine holiday – cuts a child’s risk of being overweight at the age of six by 1.1 per cent and of being obese by 6 per cent.