For most of history, human beings have lived outdoors. In modern times, at least in the West, most of our time is spent indoors. This new lifestyle encloses us and shelters us away from the sun, which results in less Vitamin D – something we naturally receive from sun exposure, go figure.

It is funny to see so many experts and articles go on about how sun exposure is bad for us and that it can lead to many diseases and cancer. However, have you ever thought how a deficiency in Vitamin D, which we can get plentifully from the sun, may affect you? Research has shown that optimizing your Vitamin D can actually help prevent diseases, as long as you are safe about it.

What is Vitamin D and why is it so important?

Vitamin D is a fat soluble and comes in two major forms; D2 and D3. Vitamin D3 is what gets produced after we are exposed to the Ultraviolet B light form the sun. Now you may be wondering what Vitamin D actually does for our bodies. Well for one it is carried in our bloodstream to our liver where it is converted into a hormone called calcidiol, which is then converted into calcitriol when calcidiol is circulating through the bloodstream. Calcitriol defends the body against diseases and improves the immune system. When synthesized in the kidneys, it circulates as a hormone to:

• Regulate levels of calcium and phosphate in the bloodstream
• Promote healthy mineralization
• Help grow and remodel bones

Vitamin D also helps:

• Reduce the rick of multiple sclerosis
• Reduce the symptoms of asthma
• Reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women

When you don’t receive enough Vitamin D, this can lead to thin, brittle, or misshapen bones, rickets in children and osteomalcia in adults. When combined with calcium, Vitamin D prevents osteoporosis in adults.  And we’ve only touched the tip of what Vitamin D can do for us humans!

How much Vitamin D do I need?

The amount of Vitamin D varies person to person. Typically the amount is determined by:

• Age
• Body weight
• Percent of body fat
• Latitude
• Skin colouration
• Season of the year
• Use of sun block
• Our individual reactions to the sun
• Overall health

Generally, the older age bracket needs more Vitamin D than the younger age group, heavier people need more than thinner people, dark-skinned people need more than fair skinned people, winter people need more than summer people, and people who are unhealthy may need more than healthy people.

According the Health Canada, Vitamin D recommendations are as follows:

• 400 IU (International Units) for children ages 0 to 1
• 200 IU up to the age of 50
• 400 IU for adults 51 to 70
• 600 IU for adults 71 plus

Chances are you don’t have to worry about getting too much Vitamin D.  From the sun it is not a problem because the sun itself gets rid of any excess in your body that also came from the sun.  From vitamin supplements you should be more careful, but it is unlikely your supplement will contain too much Vitamin D to begin with.  Just stick to the recommended dosage!

Exposing Yourself to Healthy Sun Exposure and Vitamin D

Considering that sun exposure is both natural and essential to our lives, avoiding it to the extreme is not recommended. Although medical experts out there will tell you to avoid the sun as much as possible, it is now being recognized that perhaps we have been over-doing the sun protection thing for a while now.

To get good Vitamin D production going in our bodies, it is essential to get at least 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure a day without sunscreen. Of course depending on your skin colour you may need more or less exposure. The goal is to expose yourself to a healthy amount of sun to reap the benefits of sunlight. Keep in mind that you want to avoid getting sunburn. Sunburn is not healthy and means that you have had to much sun exposure. But the more time you spend in the sun, the more your skin will get used to it.

Lastly, if you are going to be out in the sun for a longer period of time than what your skin can handle you should definitely protect yourself. The best way is to wear light clothes that still block the sun. If you must use sunscreen, choose something organic (or at least free of toxic chemicals) and which blocks both UVA and UVB radiation, since many brands only block UVB, which is not as harmful as UVA.