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To be fair: It isn't just folks with indoor jobs and hobbies. I've discussed this with my doctor after being severely low on vitamin D. It caused physical pain

To be fair: It isn't just folks with indoor jobs and hobbies. I've discussed this with my doctor after being severely low on vitamin D. It caused physical pain. I'm far enough north that it is impossible to get the sunlight needed during the winter. I still have days, but they are short without strong sun - not to mention that it is too cold to go without a jacket. So, supplements at least during the winter. During the summer, I have the option of getting at least 15 minutes of sunlight a day (May through August). Being outside isn't enough: I need to make sure that more than just my face is exposed. But then, on top of it all, I wound up taking a medicine that not only makes me sensitive to sun, but a bit more prone to a milder form of skin cancer. Sunscreen doesn't help with vitamin D production. The end result is that I wind up taking vitamin D all year and simply get my levels checked from time to time. Luckily, the over-the-counter stuff does the trick (there isn't the variety in vitamins here as there is in the US).

sneak 7y ago
Sunlight exposure is also bad for you; taking it orally is the way to go for most people. As pointed out upthread, most supplements are hilariously low-dose. I take 20k IU, 3 times per week. (most supplements are like 1000IU per pill, but 3000IU pills can be found)
- nradov 7y ago
  There is no evidence that a little bit of daily sunlight exposure increases all-cause mortality.
- catalogia 7y ago
  > Sunlight exposure is also bad for you Assuming 'linear no-threshold'? I find that pretty suspect.
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  Isn’t some sunlight exposure good in general? I think it’s going too far to declare sunlight as genealogy dangerous. It definitely helps me with my mood.
  - subaru_shoe 7y ago
    my understanding standing is that the older you get the less that your body can metabolize from sunlight and it’s sunlight that occurs for a small period of time during the day based on the angle of the sun and the type of UV rays that are filtered. and you need to be naked
    - piadodjanho 7y ago
      I've read a few paper on this subject you are absolutely correct, I don't know why you are have been downvoted. Vitamin D is only produced with in UVB wavelength [1]. No vitamin D is produced over 318nm. I wonder if that's the reason they divided the range in UVA, UVB and UVC. The solar ray incidation angle, pollution and altitude (higher, more UVB) affects the amount of UVB that hits the surface [2]. Therefore, the time of the day you are sunbathing is important to optimize Vitamin D synthesis. Midday is the best time. If you live bellow 25 degree latitude, the UVA/UVB ratio on winter is about the same on summer. Of course, you should take in consideration the weather and the UV index. I'm talking only about the ratio. This paper [3] has guideline for sun exposure for Australian. It is possible to correlate the data for other places in the same latitude -- taking in consideration the Australian differences in UV index. [1] https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-synthesis-gradient.pdf https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-s... [2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D_The_truth_about_Vitamin_D_and_sun_exposure_demystified_Finding_the_balance_for_personal_health https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D... [3] https://staging.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/194_07_040411/sta10598_fm.pdf https://staging.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/194_07_040411...
- jlarocco 7y ago
  Sunlight is bad for you in high doses without sunscreen. Moderate exposure is healthy, and may decrease the risk of many other cancers and heart disease. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260247#3 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260247#3 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/07/dose-sunshine-exposure-could-cut-risk-cancer-one-fifth/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/07/dose-sunshine-ex... https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-some-sun-exposure-will-protect-you-from-deadly-skin-cancer/ https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-some-sun-exposure-will-p... Another way to look at it is that we evolved with the sun over millions of years, and that wouldn't have happened if it were too bad for us...
  - swader999 7y ago
    Early morning and sunset have wavelengths that are more beneficial and it's a great time to be outdoors.
    - piadodjanho 7y ago
      Not for vitamin D production. Vitamin D is produced on UVB spectrum [1 Fig. 1] that decreases with the solar azimuth degree [2]. [1] https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-synthesis-gradient.pdf https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-s... [2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D_The_truth_about_Vitamin_D_and_sun_exposure_demystified_Finding_the_balance_for_personal_health https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D...
      - PopePompus 7y ago
        Zenith angle, not azimuth.
  - hnick 7y ago
    Damaging high doses can be as little as a few minutes in the Australian summer so I think it's fair to keep that in mind. On your evolution comment, most Australians don't have dark skin, but the ones who were here before Europeans do. I think that is a good indicator that the body is adjusting to something harmful. On the other hand, many dark skinned people in Britain aren't in a climate they evolved for either. We all have to be mindful that people move around the world faster than evolution now and may need to adjust our habits.
- gerdesj 7y ago
  I certainly do not recommend taking sunlight orally (lol etc) Over exposure to sunshine is a bad idea. Depending on latitude, time of year, skin colour and a few other very well understood factors determines what is a safe exposure to the sun. We all know this already. Getting outside generally involves fresh, moving air. There is also the risk of gentle, through moderate to vigorous exercise. Wear a hat and sunscreen if required but a good thing you can do to fight this nasty (all other things being equal) is take moderate exercise outside daily. Don't overdo it and keep away from other people. I won't recommend a dose of Vit D because I am not a doctor but this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D#Recommended_levels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D#Recommended_levels is probably a good start.
- hnick 7y ago
  I think a lot of other replies are missing the nuance. It depends on a lot of things. Time of year, time of day, skin colour, where you live, if you're under an Ozone hole, UV index, personal sensitivity/medications, etc. This is a good summary[0] for the situation in Australia, possibly the worst in the world when it comes to the sun being deadly. Their strongest statement about avoiding sun: "During summer in Australia, all states experience long periods during the day when the UV Index is 3 or above (see Table 1). During these periods, a combination of sun protection measures (broad brimmed hat, covering clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses and shade) is recommended when outdoors for more than a few minutes. In summer, most Australian adults will maintain adequate vitamin D levels from sun exposure during typical day to day outdoor activities." So a few minutes in the sun without protection is enough to raise your cancer risk during the worse times on the worst days and you shouldn't be seeking any sun intentionally for vitamin D during these times. Growing up it was easy to get sunburned in 10-15 minutes on some days, and the advice was that if you burn you definitely raised your cancer risk. [0]: https://wiki.cancer.org.au/policy/Position_statement_-_Risks_and_benefits_of_sun_exposure https://wiki.cancer.org.au/policy/Position_statement_-_Risks...
  - Harvesterify 7y ago
    Also, pollution.
mbreese 7y ago
My doctor told me (as he was telling me I needed to take vitamin D) that really at most latitudes in the US (including SF), the sun light is too weak and you won’t get enough vitamin D from sun exposure. This was all to tell me that I should still take an oral vitamin regardless of how much time I was able to spend outside. Anecdote, so take it for what you will.

sneak 7y ago

Sunlight exposure is also bad for you; taking it orally is the way to go for most people. As pointed out upthread, most supplements are hilariously low-dose. I take 20k IU, 3 times per week. (most supplements are like 1000IU per pill, but 3000IU pills can be found)

nradov 7y ago
There is no evidence that a little bit of daily sunlight exposure increases all-cause mortality.
catalogia 7y ago
> Sunlight exposure is also bad for you Assuming 'linear no-threshold'? I find that pretty suspect.
Ididntdothis 7y ago
Isn’t some sunlight exposure good in general? I think it’s going too far to declare sunlight as genealogy dangerous. It definitely helps me with my mood.
- subaru_shoe 7y ago
  my understanding standing is that the older you get the less that your body can metabolize from sunlight and it’s sunlight that occurs for a small period of time during the day based on the angle of the sun and the type of UV rays that are filtered. and you need to be naked
  - piadodjanho 7y ago
    I've read a few paper on this subject you are absolutely correct, I don't know why you are have been downvoted. Vitamin D is only produced with in UVB wavelength [1]. No vitamin D is produced over 318nm. I wonder if that's the reason they divided the range in UVA, UVB and UVC. The solar ray incidation angle, pollution and altitude (higher, more UVB) affects the amount of UVB that hits the surface [2]. Therefore, the time of the day you are sunbathing is important to optimize Vitamin D synthesis. Midday is the best time. If you live bellow 25 degree latitude, the UVA/UVB ratio on winter is about the same on summer. Of course, you should take in consideration the weather and the UV index. I'm talking only about the ratio. This paper [3] has guideline for sun exposure for Australian. It is possible to correlate the data for other places in the same latitude -- taking in consideration the Australian differences in UV index. [1] https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-synthesis-gradient.pdf https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-s... [2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D_The_truth_about_Vitamin_D_and_sun_exposure_demystified_Finding_the_balance_for_personal_health https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D... [3] https://staging.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/194_07_040411/sta10598_fm.pdf https://staging.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/194_07_040411...
jlarocco 7y ago
Sunlight is bad for you in high doses without sunscreen. Moderate exposure is healthy, and may decrease the risk of many other cancers and heart disease. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260247#3 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260247#3 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/07/dose-sunshine-exposure-could-cut-risk-cancer-one-fifth/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/07/dose-sunshine-ex... https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-some-sun-exposure-will-protect-you-from-deadly-skin-cancer/ https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-some-sun-exposure-will-p... Another way to look at it is that we evolved with the sun over millions of years, and that wouldn't have happened if it were too bad for us...
- swader999 7y ago
  Early morning and sunset have wavelengths that are more beneficial and it's a great time to be outdoors.
  - piadodjanho 7y ago
    Not for vitamin D production. Vitamin D is produced on UVB spectrum [1 Fig. 1] that decreases with the solar azimuth degree [2]. [1] https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-synthesis-gradient.pdf https://www.direct-ms.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vit-D-s... [2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D_The_truth_about_Vitamin_D_and_sun_exposure_demystified_Finding_the_balance_for_personal_health https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285056396_Vitamin_D...
    - PopePompus 7y ago
      Zenith angle, not azimuth.
- hnick 7y ago
  Damaging high doses can be as little as a few minutes in the Australian summer so I think it's fair to keep that in mind. On your evolution comment, most Australians don't have dark skin, but the ones who were here before Europeans do. I think that is a good indicator that the body is adjusting to something harmful. On the other hand, many dark skinned people in Britain aren't in a climate they evolved for either. We all have to be mindful that people move around the world faster than evolution now and may need to adjust our habits.
gerdesj 7y ago
I certainly do not recommend taking sunlight orally (lol etc) Over exposure to sunshine is a bad idea. Depending on latitude, time of year, skin colour and a few other very well understood factors determines what is a safe exposure to the sun. We all know this already. Getting outside generally involves fresh, moving air. There is also the risk of gentle, through moderate to vigorous exercise. Wear a hat and sunscreen if required but a good thing you can do to fight this nasty (all other things being equal) is take moderate exercise outside daily. Don't overdo it and keep away from other people. I won't recommend a dose of Vit D because I am not a doctor but this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D#Recommended_levels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D#Recommended_levels is probably a good start.
hnick 7y ago
I think a lot of other replies are missing the nuance. It depends on a lot of things. Time of year, time of day, skin colour, where you live, if you're under an Ozone hole, UV index, personal sensitivity/medications, etc. This is a good summary[0] for the situation in Australia, possibly the worst in the world when it comes to the sun being deadly. Their strongest statement about avoiding sun: "During summer in Australia, all states experience long periods during the day when the UV Index is 3 or above (see Table 1). During these periods, a combination of sun protection measures (broad brimmed hat, covering clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses and shade) is recommended when outdoors for more than a few minutes. In summer, most Australian adults will maintain adequate vitamin D levels from sun exposure during typical day to day outdoor activities." So a few minutes in the sun without protection is enough to raise your cancer risk during the worse times on the worst days and you shouldn't be seeking any sun intentionally for vitamin D during these times. Growing up it was easy to get sunburned in 10-15 minutes on some days, and the advice was that if you burn you definitely raised your cancer risk. [0]: https://wiki.cancer.org.au/policy/Position_statement_-_Risks_and_benefits_of_sun_exposure https://wiki.cancer.org.au/policy/Position_statement_-_Risks...
- Harvesterify 7y ago
  Also, pollution.

mbreese 7y ago

My doctor told me (as he was telling me I needed to take vitamin D) that really at most latitudes in the US (including SF), the sun light is too weak and you won’t get enough vitamin D from sun exposure. This was all to tell me that I should still take an oral vitamin regardless of how much time I was able to spend outside. Anecdote, so take it for what you will.