Blog
Will Wearing Sunscreen Make Me Vitamin D Deficient?
July 21, 2010
No. We are able to make vitamin D in our skin in the presence of sunlight, however we also get vitamin D in our diet (fish, seafood, Vit D fortified milk, bread and cereals, mushrooms, egg yolks) and can also get vitamin D through supplements. If you wish to take more Vitamin D for health benefits (there has been new research that shows promising links between Vitamin D and prevention of several kinds of cancer and chronic disease) it should be done through safe means, such as diet or supplementation, not through potentially dangerous practices such as increasing unprotected sun exposure.
Why increase a person’s skin cancer risk just to improve vitamin D levels, when supplementation is easy and cost effective? Melanoma kills, and death rates have not decreased over the last decade; the responsible recommendation lies in proper sun protection and vitamin D supplementation if desired.
Some medical circles have postulated that individuals residing in areas with greater sun exposure experience higher blood levels of vitamin D and those in Northern locations have lower blood levels of Vit D. Theoretically, this makes sense; however, it has not been substantiated through recent research demonstrating low blood levels of vitamin D in individuals residing in Florida and southern Arizona and normal blood levels of Vit D levels in Canadians (including our staff!).
The current recommended daily Vit D dose is 400IU, although this is currently under review in light of the new research and will probably be increased. Most medical professionals recommend 1000IU of Vit D for supplementation.
