Jul21

Written by:  Dr. Christine Rodgers
7/21/2010 9:23 AM 

Many Americans have inadequate levels of Vitamin D, a vitamin that's essential to our health. Known as the "sunshine vitamin," your body manufactures Vitamin D when you are exposed to sunlight. It is also available through the diet via fish, fish oil, egg yolks, cheese and beef liver -- and supplements. Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, a healthy cardiovascular system and mental cognition.

Sunscreen blocks the production of Vitamin D through the skin. Some doctors, including Dr. Frank Lipman on Gwyneth Paltrow's site GOOP, make the controversial recommendation to go out in the sun without sunscreen for 15-30 minutes, 2-4 times a week.
On the flip side, The Denver Post asked whether soaking up Vitamin D through the sun was safe. Here's what that article said:

As for getting D from the sun, "It takes only a few minutes of ultraviolet light exposure to produce a large amount of vitamin D in your skin," [dermatologist Richard G. ]Asarch says. "One study showed that by just exposing your head, neck and arms to four minutes of noontime Denver sun is all you need to produce enough for the day."
 

Once your skin produces 20,000 units of vitamin D, additional exposure actually begins to degrade the vitamin because our skin is programmed to not make too much.

Dr. Rodgers recommends erring on the side of caution: use sunscreen when you're in the sun, and take a good vitamin D supplement.