Time to Make vitamin D: Should You Get Some Unprotected Sun?

Your body makes vitamin D, which supports strong bones and teeth and may help to reduce the risk for certain cancers (http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/Complementaryan...). Summer sunlight supplies strong Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays that initiate vitamin D production in skin. Your liver and kidneys complete the process, and your body stores vitamin D for future use.

I live in the northeast, where the sun is too weak to trigger vitamin D production for about half the year. In theory, I could get make all the vitamin D I need with more unprotected sun. Believe me, I’d like to try.

Here’s the problem: UVB rays also cause sunburn and skin cancer. And the Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays that are also present in sunlight are responsible for wrinkles, and possibly more serious skin damage.

According to the American Cancer Society, (http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/SunandUVExposure/

SkinCancerPreventionandEarlyDetection/skin-cancer-prevention-and-early-detection-u-v-protection) it’s better to get vitamin D from your diet or vitamin supplements rather than from sun exposure. Foods and supplements with vitamin D won’t increase the risk for skin damage, and food and supplements are more reliable sources.

So, while I’m sure I get some unprotected sun from May to October that helps my body make vitamin D, I don’t rely completely on sunshine. I take 25 mcg of vitamin D every day, year-round, and include foods rich in vitamin D, such as salmon, tuna, fortified milk and orange juice, and eggs as part of a balanced diet. My children take vitamin D supplements, too.

When I’m chasing my kids around with a bottle of broad spectrum, high SPF sunscreen, I could be accused of sucking the fun out of summer. Maybe I am, in the short run. But I’m sure they’ll thank me for their healthy skin, years down the road.

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