Vitamin D and Sun Expossure - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

Hardy09 · 04-17-2007, 10:57 AM

Dermatologist Barbara A. Gilchrest, M.D., professor and chair of the department of dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine and co- author with Dr. Deon Wolpowitz of the article "The vitamin D questions: How much do you need and how should you get it?" advises the public to turn to vitamin D fortified foods and nutritional supplements instead of unprotected sun exposure to assure adequate levels of vitamin D.

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I take three 400 iu of D a day, to get 1200 IU, or I take one 1,000 IU pill. I have read that over 2,000 IU could be detrimental.

mod-anon · 04-17-2007, 11:34 PM

Please paraphrase in your own words what you read somewhere else. For copyright reasons, do not copy material directly from another website.

rheanna · 04-18-2007, 12:36 AM

I am one of those people who has very little melanin -- my skin turns quickly from white to red -- there is no brown on the way. I wear clothes that cover my body from neck to feet all year long (people tell me they feel overheated just looking at me -- and it's not because I'm turning them on!

). The amount of sun to produce any measurable vitamin D in my body would also produce skin cancer. And now that I live in grey northern Germany I certainly am not getting enough sunlight to produce any measurable vitamin D.

I started taking Vitamin D supplements a few years ago because my Seasonal Affective Disorder was making me suicidally depressed every winter -- this started in sunny central California where you'd think there'd be enough sunshine even in winter to counter depression. And here in grey (did I mention how grey it is here?) northern Germany it lasted longer and longer each year, until the depression one year didn't lift until August.

Since I have been taking 1500 IU (36 micrograms) everyday, I have not been depressed.

I also have decreased my chances of getting skin cancer.

Very few foods here in Germany are fortified with vitamin D. Milk is not fortified. I drink a lot of milk. With no sun exposure (did I mention the greyness here?) and no fortified foods, taking supplements is the only way I'm going to get any vitamin D.

Australians require children to wear protective clothing and hats when they play outside. Australians have a high incidence of skin cancer and are trying to change that.

Dark-skinned people in the middle latitudes (America and Europe) need much longer exposures to the sun in order to get adequate amounts of vitamin D. Those who work indoors often have too little vitamin D in their bodies.

At any rate, this is a good topic for discussion.

--Rheanna

naturodude · 04-18-2007, 04:36 PM

In any climate, as soon as UVB sun rays (the same that cause sunburn) hit the skin, your cells start producing vitamin D. If you are fair-skinned, it doesn't take long to get enough vitamin D. Remember, alot of people, mostly Americans are vitamin D deficient. 2,000 I.U. is a baby's dose for me. I started off at this amount of course, but slowly reached 10,000 I.U. which is a safe amount. Believe me, if I'm taking too much my body will excrete it. MegaFood has a 100% whole food vita-D supplement (extracted from food, not lab isolated). This is absorbed 100% by the body. Don't believe all these "negative research" results about vitamin D. These are produced mainly by the FDA, since vita-D isn't patentable and costs very little (and is free w/sun exposure). Dr. Joesph Mercola has very good research on vitamin D dosage. Go to Also, sun exposure is only one factor of skin cancer. It can also be caused by toxins in our food and toxins in our personal care products (which are absorbed btw).

flowergirl2day · 04-22-2007, 07:55 PM

Quote:

In any climate, as soon as UVB sun rays (the same that cause sunburn) hit the skin, your cells start producing vitamin D.

Hello,

each time I am out walking I wonder how much exposure to the sun I need in order to get enough vitamin D. Because of the time of year and the geographical area I live in, I am usually covered from head to toe. The only areas of the skin that are actually exposed are the head & neck and hands.
Whenever possible, I take my jacket off to expose my arms in hopes of getting more vitamin D.

My questions:

Do the sun's rays actualy have to come into contact with bare skin to initiate the process that manufactures vitamin D?

Can they penetrate the clothing? Does the amount of vitamin D we get from exposure to the sun depend on how much of our body mass is exposed ?

I know these questions may sound a bit strange. Thank you.