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THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Skin pigmentation matters to UTM professor



Radhika Panjwani
Feb 17, 2007

A University of Toronto at Mississauga campus professor is one of the recipients of the Ontario government's Early Researchers Award (ERA) this year.

Esteban J. Parra, an assistant Professor in Department of Anthropology at UTM, was recently awarded the ERA program for his work in exploring the relationship between pigmentation of the skin and Vitamin D levels in individuals.
Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin. The body produces less Vitamin D during winter because of the lack of sunshine.
Parra's work will involve studying people from a diverse and multicultural group in the GTA in both winter and summer. He will receive a total grant of $100,000 from Queen's Park.
"This research is important because it will help us understand the problem of synthesizing Vitamin D levels during winter," Parra said. "Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone growth and development and can protect against diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, lupus and others. Recent research in Canada indicates vitamin D insufficiency in healthy adults is surprisingly high - 25%-39% - during the winter."
Parra will work with four other researchers. The study will help in understanding the relationship between people of different cultures and their ability to synthesize Vitamin D. The research will be able pinpoint the the amount of Vitamin D that individuals need to supplement during winter when sunshine is scarce.
He said most of the previous research conducted was done primarily individuals of European ancestry. Parra and his team, comprising of Dr. Reinhold Vieth and Dr. David Cole from UTM, Dr. Susan Whiting from the University of Saskatchewan and Dr. David Hamilton from Dalhousie University, will study seasonal variation of vitamin D levels of 700 healthy young adults.
Parra said in recent years it has been more and more difficult for young researchers, such as himself, to receive grants. The ERA is a shot in the arm for the young researcher.
"There's a great competition for grants because there are a lot of new faculties in the system, but the funding has not grown accordingly," he said.
The three-year research has an outreach component for which Parra is enlisting the help of many of his colleagues. The group will offer a short-term program in anthropology to high-school students in Peel. In the GTA, 33 researchers at nine institutions received the awards for research in a wide range of fields.