How To Get A Healthy Dose Of Vitamin D From The Sun—Without Worrying About Skin Cancer
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One recent study in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA) concluded that slathering yourself in SPF 15 or higher sunscreen every time you go outside could cut your body’s vitamin D production by 99%.
“Your body takes UVB light and converts it to vitamin D3, which in turn regulates the uptake of calcium in the intestines,” says Michael Olding, MD, a professor of surgery at George Washington University. “But the irony [when it comes to sun exposure] is that the same thing that’s good for you can also be bad for you.”
Of course, Olding is talking about skin cancer. And in his view, the cancer risks associated with unprotected sun exposure far outweigh the risks of too little D. “I think the amount and magnitude of [health] problems you risk from low vitamin D are many times lower than the risks of unprotected sun exposure,” he says.
In many ways, you can equate sun exposure to other carcinogens, such as cigarettes. Less is safer. But there’s no lower limit that guarantees you won’t raise your cancer risks, Olding says. He also points out that, while vitamin D shortages seem to be on the rise, there’s still expert doubt about whether lower D levels are leading to widespread health issues among American adults.
Other experts repeat this point.
“We see people with low vitamin D, but it’s not clear if this has any clinical relevance,” says Zaineb Makhzoumi, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. So while some research has linked low D with health issues, it’s far from certain that insufficient vitamin D is the cause of those health problems, she says.
On the other hand, there’s no doubt at all…
