Vitamin D and Sunlight

Vitamin D and sunlight are closely related to each other. Human body can’t produce any vitamin D without being exposed to sunrays. The best time to go outside and spend some time in the sun is early in the morning and late in the afternoon. White skin should be exposed to direct sunlight for at least fifteen minutes, whereas darker skin needs more time to synthesize

vitamin D. This means that dark-skinned individuals need at least thirty minutes in the sun to have enough vitamin D produced in the skin.

How is vitamin D produced? When your skin is exposed to sunrays, your body starts converting vitamin D into its active state.

Do not go outside when the sun is too strong; otherwise, your skin can get burnt. It is important to let your skin “breathe” for at least fifteen minutes – meaning you won’t need any sunscreen during this time.

If you can’t get enough sunlight - because you live in a cold weather country - you can use a sun shower. However, this should only be done after consulting your dermatologist. If you have very sensitive skin, or you’ve been advised not to use sun showers, don’t do it. Just visit your doctor and discuss other methods of getting your daily dose of vitamin D.

What Are Other Sources of Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is contained in certain animal-derived products, such as:

● Animal meat (especially liver)

● Egg yolk

● Fish oil

● Dairy products

● Fortified cereals

Consuming these foods is certainly beneficial, but that won’t help you get your daily dose of vitamin D. The amounts found in these foods are not satisfactory, and you will probably have to use vitamin supplements.

Why Is Vitamin D Important?

Normal absorption of phosphorus and calcium is not possible if vitamin D levels are too low. If you are deficient in vitamin D, you may start having serious problems related to bones and teeth.

Your immune system needs vitamin D in order to keep working normally. People whose vitamin D levels are too low often have problems with recurring infections. This happens because the immune system is too weak to fight infections.

Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem, but very few people are aware of this fact. The most common symptoms usually include:

- High blood pressure (Hypertension)

- Depression

- Chronic fatigue

- Bone pains

- High cholesterol levels in blood

- Osteomalacia

- Rickets in children

In most cases, the symptoms occur very late, when a person is already severely deficient in vitamin D. Prevention is better than cure, so visit your doctor and measure your vitamin D levels. If diagnosed early, this condition can be treated in relatively short time, and a patient won’t have to take extremely large doses of vitamin D supplements. On the other hand, if left untreated, vitamin D deficiency treatment may require extremely large doses of supplements – as large as 50,000 International Units weekly.

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