Current advice is for people to stay in the sun for half as long as it takes their particular skin type to burn before covering up and retiring to the shade. This should give them all the vitamin D they need without increasing the risk of skin cancer.
The sun is our best natural source of vitamin D. Spending even a short time in the sun can provide the body with all of the vitamin D it needs for the day. According to the Vitamin D Council , this could be:.
Very few foods contain significant amounts of vitamin D, so people can ensure they get enough of the vitamin by scheduling regular time outdoors. It is essential to remember, however, that too much sun exposure can burn the skin and potentially lead to skin cancer.
Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium, which is one of the main building blocks of bone. The body also needs vitamin D to keep the nerves, muscles, and immune system working properly. Vitamin D deficiencies can cause soft bone conditions such as rickets or osteomalacia, and the porous, fragile bone condition called osteoporosis. However, spending time in the sun without sunscreen can cause sunburn and may contribute to the development of skin cancer. Others may not be able to adequately release vitamin D into their blood circulation from fat cells.
Also, certain individuals may not activate vitamin D to a usable state. These people may find themselves at risk of vitamin D deficiency, including:. In the United States, the recommended daily intake of vitamin D from food or supplements is as follow:. Some foods are higher in vitamin D than others.
To ensure they get enough vitamin D, babies and children aged under 5 years should be given vitamin D supplements even if they do get out in the sun. Find out about vitamin D supplements for children.
The Department of Health recommends that these people should take daily vitamin D supplements to make sure they get enough. Find out who should take vitamin D supplements and how much to take. You can get vitamin supplements containing vitamin D free of charge if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a child under 4 years of age and qualify for the Healthy Start scheme.
You can also buy single vitamin supplements or vitamin drops containing vitamin D for babies and young children at most pharmacies and larger supermarkets. Speak to your pharmacist, GP or health visitor if you're unsure whether you need to take a vitamin D supplement or don't know what supplements to take. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to Some people have medical conditions that mean they may not be able to take as much vitamin D safely.
If in doubt, you should talk to your doctor. If your doctor has recommended you take a different amount of vitamin D, you should follow their advice. There's no risk of your body making too much vitamin D from sun exposure, but always remember to cover up or protect your skin before the time it takes you to start turning red or burn.
Page last reviewed: 31 August Next review due: 31 August No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
September brings the end of summer in the northern hemisphere and, for many of us, that means less time in the sun. The skin actually produces a precursor that is converted into the active form of the vitamin by the liver and kidneys.
Vitamin D is best known for its vital role in bone health. Without this "sunshine vitamin," the body can't absorb the calcium it ingests, so it steals calcium from bones, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Vitamin D also helps maintain normal blood levels of phosphorus, another bone-building mineral. Vitamin D would be essential if it did nothing else. But researchers have discovered that it's active in many tissues and cells besides bone and controls an enormous number of genes, including some associated with cancers, autoimmune disease, and infection.
Hardly a month goes by without news about the risks of vitamin D deficiency or about a potential role for the vitamin in warding off diseases, including breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and even schizophrenia.
In June , a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that low blood levels of vitamin D were associated with a doubled risk of death overall and from cardiovascular causes in women and men average age 62 referred to a cardiac center for coronary angiography. At a scientific meeting in May , Canadian researchers reported that vitamin D deficiency was linked to poorer outcomes in women with breast cancer.
And a large study of aging in the Netherlands published in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry found a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and depression in women and men ages 65 to The picture of vitamin D's health benefits beyond bones has been drawn mainly from epidemiologic and observational investigations. The findings of such studies can suggest correlations between disease risk and certain factors — sun exposure or blood levels of vitamin D, for example — but they don't prove cause and effect.
Promising findings from observational studies don't always pan out when put to the test in clinical trials. In the only other randomized trial of vitamin D and cancer — part of the Women's Health Initiative — researchers found no effect on colorectal cancer. Critics say that the dose, IU per day, was too small to make a difference. More trials are needed to elucidate vitamin D's benefits and risks at different doses and in different populations.
In fact, a large-scale randomized trial that would include 20, U. In light of these common questions, our Yale Medicine doctors help clear up some confusion about vitamin D, separating fact from fiction. Vitamin D is stored in fat. Modest increases above the RDA are not likely to cause harm.
The child, who developed high blood calcium hypercalcemia , had to be hospitalized and treated with several types of medications to get the calcium levels down to normal levels.
You can now get 50, IU tablets over the counter. There are patients with specific issues who might need a prescription for high levels of vitamin D, but for most people, that amount will raise your vitamin D level too high.
Babies should be getting smaller amounts in their first year of life, between and IU. Most people should be fine. Testing is important only for certain populations: for people who are institutionalized; for patients with a gastrointestinal disorder like inflammatory bowel disease or osteoporosis ; those who have had weight loss surgery; those on anti-convulsant medications; and children who are immobilized and not outside and active.
Breast milk doesn't have much vitamin D in it. That's what spurred a recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that every breastfed infant be given vitamin D if they're being given liquid multivitamin drops, they're getting enough of it.
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