Without vitamin D, people complain of feeling sick all the time, depressed, tired, and achy. Vitamin D is critical to bone and cellular health but half of all Americans (or maybe more) aren’t getting enough.
People at risk for vitamin D deficiency:
- The people who don’t get a lot of sun exposure.
- Older adults
- Those with darker skin
- People who might not absorb it due to gastric bypass surgery, cystic fibrosis or ulcerative colitis.
Your body makes vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin. The skin absorbs rays in the invisible UVB part of the light spectrum. So, in theory, some have also thought sunscreen, which blocks harmful UV light can block vitamin D absorption. However, Licensed Esthetician Emily Trampetti said that’s a myth.
“Vitamin D, we kind of synthesize it through our body, through sunlight, but we actually still need a well-balanced diet to get it into our body. So that’s why actually, sometimes even in really sunny climates, we see people with vitamin D deficiencies because they’re maybe not getting enough lipids in their diet or essential fatty acids. So yeah, definitely don’t worry about that. You can wear your sunscreen and still have faith that you’re getting good vitamin D,” Trampetti said.
According to Harvard Medical School, even if sunscreen were to prevent some vitamin D absorption, very few people put on enough sunscreen to block all UVB light, or they use sunscreen irregularly.
An Australian study also shows no difference in vitamin D between adults randomly assigned to use sunscreen and those assigned a placebo cream.
Most adults need 600 IU of vitamin D per day, while adults over 70 years old need 800 IU daily.
What can prohibit you from getting enough:
The further away from the equator you live, the less vitamin D-producing UVB light reaches the earth’s surface during the winter.
Air quality can also diminish vitamin D since carbon particles in the air from the burning of fossil fuels, wood, and other materials scatter and absorb UVB rays.