Skin cancer is a much bigger threat to your health and you can get adequate vitamin D from supplements.
There is a lot of research about the great benefits of vitamin D — everything from increasing bone density to protection against some cancers, and benefits for diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction and depression.
But don’t start basking yet.
Getting enough vitamin D (and all its benefits) is important but needs to be balanced against what we already know are the big risks of sun exposure, i.e. skin cancers, inflammation and immune disorders.
Studies also show that if vitamin D can do all that it seems it can, we need more of it than we can get from daily sun exposure and our regular diets. So sitting out the sun isn’t going to give you all those vitamin D perks (sorry, you still can’t justify it!)
Taking a vitamin D supplement is a good idea. While it differs for each person, current recommendations hover in the 1,000 and 2,000 IU range (make sure to ask your doctor before increasing your dosage or taking new supplements).
For more details check out: “Vitamin D, Sun Avoidance, Hypovitaminosis D” in skintelligencenter.com.
