From Health magazine
For each minute that you spend in peak summer sunlight, your body can produce about 1,000 IU of vitamin D. By comparison, you’d have to drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of milk to get that much.
In short, a little UV exposure can go a long way, says Min-Wei Christine Lee, MD, MPH, a board-certified dermatologist and director of The East Bay Laser and Skin Care Center in Walnut Creek, California. Follow these rules to stay safe while you’re getting some sun.
Time it right: If you have a fair complexion, you’ll need just 5 to 10 minutes of sunshine on your arms, legs, or back—without sunscreen (yes, it shuts down the production of D)—between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. three days a week, Dr. Lee says. Women who have medium skin tones may need 15 to 20 minutes’ exposure, and darker-skinned women may need up to 30 minutes’ worth. And remember: Do use a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on your face and wear a wide-brimmed hat, especially if you’re going to be outside for any length of time.
Multitask: Get your vitamin D while running your errands—walking into and out of stores, driving with the window down on sunny days, working in your garden, walking your dog.
Be extra careful: If you have had skin cancer or have a family history of the disease, ask your doctor for recommendations tailored to you. Sun exposure may be a health risk.
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Comments (8)
Help me with the math here. For good health, i read one needs 100 to 200 IU of Vitamin D daily. This article says 1 minute of sun exposure causes the skin to produce 1,000 IU. Yet it recommends 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure. If we only need 100 IU, then 1/10th of a minute in the sun should do it, unless there is a loss or lack of absorption or something.
Also, readers need to know 1 minute with what amount of clothing does it take to produce 1,000 IU. Swimsuit? Shirt off? One arm out a car window?
Currently i dose myself with 15 minutes at 1 pm each day wearing a swimsuit, and I’m in great health. Would like to know the numbers though.
Another thing that I’ve always wondered about: Does Vitamin D production begin immediately when skin is exposed to sun? Or is there a ramp-up period?
Thanks for the facts you’ve presented.
The RDA 200IU per day is the minimum amount of Vitamn D needed to SUSTAIN life, not to be in optimal health. I am a naturopathic physician who practices in Chicago and have been testing Vitamin D levels on many of my patients and 80-90% have been very low. Low vitamin D can lead to bone loss, depression, hormone imbalances, depressed immune function. It is an extremely important Vitamin to get. If you are worried about your levels have your doctor do a blood test.
Lakeshore Wellness Center: Naturopathic Holistic Medicine, Acupuncture and Bioidentical Hormones in Chicago.
http://www.lakeshorewellnesscenter.com
http://www.rxacupuncture.com
If you are interested in vitamin D you should take a look at http://www.vitaminD3world.com The Canadian Cancer Society now recommends that everyone take vitamin D to prevent cancer. The site has good summaries of the data and offers a new preparation of vitamin D in a micro-pill formulation. The pills have been formulated with cellulose which absorbs water very quickly. This ensures that the pill breaks up very quickly to provide for maximum absorption. The micro pill is tiny and tasteless. Many vitamin D pills on the market have very poor dissolution properties resulting in poor absorption.
The site also offers to supply customers with a free supply of 400IU for their children and it also has a good newsletter.
Remember that not all Vit.D is equal.Sunshine is the best.But first get ur Vit.D levels checked at the doc’s.I hav arthritis,crohn’s disease.I had a hard time getting doc to get a test done to see where my Vit.D levels were.I got the test and my D was extremely low,probably since i left home at 17.
Get a good Vit D pill from a good supplier,But remember this is very important,very impt.
Make sure its Vit D3,,yes D3.there’s a couple different types of D,Also remember to take with a calicum pill,they hold hands (vit.D n calicum)
they help one another to be utilized by the body.,,,,,,,,excuse bad grammer/spelling pls ;-)
if you doctor will not measure your vitmain d you should think about a doctor change. The data is overwhelming but just as the data on smoking causing cancer took 20-30 years to be accepted so we can expect the same for vitamin D
If the sun is the best source and the one that costs no money would’t it be the one to go with? Is there a condition that depletes vit D rapidly such that you would not realize that in spite of being in the sun adequately your levels were droppng without you knowing it inspite of the sun you get and the supplement you take.?
Barbara, in northern regions we go through a vitamin D winter when you cannot make any vitamin d because the sun is never high enough in the sky. You could walk around naked all day from about October to March and still not make any vitamin D if you go to http://www.vitaminD3world.com it is all explained. However because of our lifestyles today even folk living in very warm climates are found to have insufficient levels
Are you saying in Wisconsin you do not get any vitamin D from the sun from October to March? Can you get any benefits from sunshine that comes through a car or house window? I have read that your eyes can absorb vitamin D easily. Is this true? Are there any side effects known from taken Vitamin D?
Thank You