Sun protection or vitamin D? How to get both…

You need sun protection as much as you need vitamin D. You can have both, without skin damage or nutritional deficiency. Learn how:

Source: the 2016 issue of The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal.

We all need vitamin D. It spurs bone growth, and without it, we’d be at high risk of conditions such as osteoporosis. Vitamin D also gives an important boost to the immune system.

When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it manufactures vitamin D. The sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays interact with a protein called 7-DHC in the skin, converting it into vitamin D3, the active form of vitamin D.

The problem is, too many people think that using sunscreen and other forms of sun protection leads to vitamin D deficiency, and that the best way to obtain enough of the vitamin is through unprotected sun exposure. But that can lead to a whole other set of serious problems.

Benefits of vitamin D, Risks of D Deficiency

Vitamin D helps keep your bones strong by regulating calcium levels. Maintaining adequate amounts of the vitamin is essential for your bone health. People deficient in the vitamin can suffer symptoms including muscle aches, muscle weakness and bone pain. In severe cases, by reducing calcium absorption, deficiency can lead to slower growth, bone softening and weakened bone structure, increasing the risk of skeletal deformities, osteoporosis and fractures.

“Studies have never found that everyday sunscreen use leads to vitamin D insufficiency. In fact, people who use sunscreen daily can maintain their vitamin D levels.”

Benefits of Sun Protection, Risks of Sun Exposure

In contrast, there is overwhelming evidence for the multiple benefits of sun protection. Controlled studies have shown that regular use of an SPF 15 or higher broad-spectrum sunscreen reduces your chances of developing squamous cell carcinoma by about 40 percent, melanoma by 50 percent and premature skin aging by 24 percent.

What is a Healthy Level of vitamin D?

If you’re having blood drawn for your annual checkup, ask your doctor to test your vitamin D level. On your lab report, here’s what your number means.

Below 30: Deficient. Talk to your doctor about supplements.

30 to 50: Generally inadequate for bone and overall health.

50 and above: Adequate (but more is not necessarily better).

125 and above: Too high (may have adverse effects).

Does Sunscreen Use Lead to vitamin D Deficiency?

High-SPF sunscreens are designed to filter out most of the sun’s UVB radiation. Nonetheless, clinical studies have never found that everyday sunscreen use leads to vitamin D insufficiency. In fact, the prevailing studies show that people who use sunscreen daily can maintain their vitamin D levels.

One of the explanations for this may be that no matter how much sunscreen you use or how high the SPF, some of the sun’s UV rays reach your skin. An SPF 15 sunscreen filters out 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent, and SPF 50 filters out 98 percent. This leaves anywhere from 2 to 7 percent of solar UVB reaching your skin, even with high-SPF sunscreens.

Damage Before You Know It

An Easy Pill to Swallow. Supplements are a simple way to increase your vitamin D level without sun damage.

Better Choices

The question is, if not from UV exposure, how can you obtain enough vitamin D?

It’s pretty straightforward, actually. You can acquire vitamin D from a combination of diet and supplements. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna are especially good sources. Small amounts are also present in egg yolks, beef liver and cheese. And many common foods such as milk and orange juice are fortified with vitamin D. It is possible, though not easy, to mix and match these foods to get the daily allowance of 600 International Units (IU) recommended by the Institute of Medicine and The Skin Cancer Foundation for the average person between the ages of 1 and 70. (400 IU is recommended for infants under age 1 and 800 IU is recommended for everyone over age 70.)

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