Vitamin D from sunlight. What you need to know.

We’ve heard about all the studies showing how important vit D is, with vit D from the sun being the most beneficial form. What few know is that getting enough vit D from the sun is not a given; even with lots of exposure. Why?

Watch your shadow. Vitamin D is only produced in the skin when exposed to a very narrow range of UVB frequencies. These specific frequencies have a hard time penetrating Earth’s atmosphere. When the sun is no longer high in the sky, they can’t reach your skin. In order to produce vit D, exposure must occur when your shadow is shorter than the length (height) of your body. Tanning or burning occur at other times, but there’s no vit D production.

Watch the sky. The needed UVB frequencies are blocked by both thin haze and pollution. No vit D

Watch the soap. It takes over 24 hours for the initial compounds created on the skin by appropriate UVB to migrate into the body to become vit D. Scrubbing your entire body with soap removes these compounds. wash only the strategic bits with soap and rinse the rest of your body with water. Unless you’ve spilled your soup, you don’t need to scrub your chest with soap.

Watch your skin. The darker the skin or the older the person, the more UVB needed to produce the same amount of Vit D. Dr Mercola recommends exposure till the skin is a little bit pink.

Now you know the rest of the story. Enjoy the sun.