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If you don't have an underlying condition it is way better to get the Vitamin D from the sun in 10-30min increments per day after which you are saturated for th

If you don't have an underlying condition it is way better to get the Vitamin D from the sun in 10-30min increments per day after which you are saturated for the day. Overdose is not possible via the sun (excluding sun burns of course). > A single, optimal sun exposure session might produce the equivalent of 10,000 to 25,000 IU from a supplement, but it will not keep increasing with more time in the sun. That's your max per session.

arethuza 9mo ago
From NHS Scotland: "In Scotland, we only get enough of the right kind of sunlight for our bodies to make vitamin D between April and September, mostly between 11am and 3pm." https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition/eating-well/vitamin-d/ https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition... Personally I found that taking Vitamin D supplements made quite a bit of difference - and I spend a fair amount of time outside (~3 hours each day).
- matsemann 9mo ago
  And in Norway we often don't see the sun during certain months, due to it only being up for a few hours in the middle of the day (when we're working). And even if I was outside I would be covered in clothes. We have a saying here to take cod liver oil all months ending with R (in Norwegian that's September to Februar) to get both omega 3 and the vitamin D.
  - arethuza 9mo ago
    Indeed, I was going to add that Scotland isn't really that far North (or indeed South) so there will be lots of places where the problem is far worse!
pjc50 9mo ago
.. how do you calibrate this against a cloudy sky? It's pretty dark up here at 56 degrees north, and on top of that it's been overcast for days. It also sucks a lot when it's dark before starting work, dark after leaving work, and during the day rather cold to be exposing skin to the sun.
INTPenis 9mo ago
Agreed, but I live in Sweden so I take vitamin D supplements every winter. During the spring, summer, fall months I barely need it since I'm outside so much with my dog.
Ensorceled 9mo ago
This is nonsense advice for pretty much anybody that is shovelling snow right now.
- bflesch 9mo ago
  Why don't you just travel to the south during winter? /s
austinjp 9mo ago
Check local/national advice. In many places it is officially advised to take vitamin D supplements, especially in winter or if you have a darker skin tone.
mixedbit 9mo ago
In winter, even on a sunny day, only tiny fraction of your skin is exposed to sun. 10-30 min of sun when you are wearing tshirt and shorts is much different from 10-30 min of sun when you are wearing long sleeves, gloves, and a scarf.
- pbhjpbhj 9mo ago
  It's not really the exposed skin that's the issue. At higher latitudes the ultraviolet (UVB) gets scattered by the longer path through the atmosphere and so even if you were naked you still wouldn't be getting enough.
bflesch 9mo ago
Your suggestion sounds a bit detached from reality of many people. In many countries it is physically impossible to get enough vitamin D from the sun, even if you go out naked. Also did you ever notice that the cheap apartments in many places are facing north and do not have a balcony, and of course do not have a private garden? Now you are reduced to going to a park which in the "cheap" areas is also not a good spot to chill for 30 minutes.
RobotToaster 9mo ago
> it is way better to get the Vitamin D from the sun in 10-30min increments per day spoken like someone who has never lived in the UK
nimonian 9mo ago
Next time I get sunburn I'm calling it a vitamin D overdose
francisofascii 9mo ago
I would argue to do both in the winter, since sunlight has other benefits than just Vitamin D synthesis, like mitochondrial health and better circadian signaling for better sleep quality.
theptip 9mo ago
Don’t guess; just get your vitamin D levels tested. It’s $20, you can just buy it à la carte. For some people even in sunny areas, 5000 IU might be needed to get you in-range. This is highly individual.
theshrike79 9mo ago
Yeaaah, in Finland the sun just fucks off for multiple months over the winter. It's much cheaper to take a few pills than it is to travel 3000km south to see the sun for 30 minutes :D We even put Vitamin D in milk by default just so that people would get some extra.

arethuza 9mo ago

From NHS Scotland: "In Scotland, we only get enough of the right kind of sunlight for our bodies to make vitamin D between April and September, mostly between 11am and 3pm." https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition/eating-well/vitamin-d/ https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition... Personally I found that taking Vitamin D supplements made quite a bit of difference - and I spend a fair amount of time outside (~3 hours each day).

matsemann 9mo ago
And in Norway we often don't see the sun during certain months, due to it only being up for a few hours in the middle of the day (when we're working). And even if I was outside I would be covered in clothes. We have a saying here to take cod liver oil all months ending with R (in Norwegian that's September to Februar) to get both omega 3 and the vitamin D.
- arethuza 9mo ago
  Indeed, I was going to add that Scotland isn't really that far North (or indeed South) so there will be lots of places where the problem is far worse!

pjc50 9mo ago

.. how do you calibrate this against a cloudy sky? It's pretty dark up here at 56 degrees north, and on top of that it's been overcast for days. It also sucks a lot when it's dark before starting work, dark after leaving work, and during the day rather cold to be exposing skin to the sun.

INTPenis 9mo ago

Agreed, but I live in Sweden so I take vitamin D supplements every winter. During the spring, summer, fall months I barely need it since I'm outside so much with my dog.

Ensorceled 9mo ago

This is nonsense advice for pretty much anybody that is shovelling snow right now.

bflesch 9mo ago
Why don't you just travel to the south during winter? /s

austinjp 9mo ago

Check local/national advice. In many places it is officially advised to take vitamin D supplements, especially in winter or if you have a darker skin tone.

mixedbit 9mo ago

In winter, even on a sunny day, only tiny fraction of your skin is exposed to sun. 10-30 min of sun when you are wearing tshirt and shorts is much different from 10-30 min of sun when you are wearing long sleeves, gloves, and a scarf.

pbhjpbhj 9mo ago
It's not really the exposed skin that's the issue. At higher latitudes the ultraviolet (UVB) gets scattered by the longer path through the atmosphere and so even if you were naked you still wouldn't be getting enough.

bflesch 9mo ago

Your suggestion sounds a bit detached from reality of many people. In many countries it is physically impossible to get enough vitamin D from the sun, even if you go out naked. Also did you ever notice that the cheap apartments in many places are facing north and do not have a balcony, and of course do not have a private garden? Now you are reduced to going to a park which in the "cheap" areas is also not a good spot to chill for 30 minutes.

RobotToaster 9mo ago

> it is way better to get the Vitamin D from the sun in 10-30min increments per day spoken like someone who has never lived in the UK

nimonian 9mo ago

Next time I get sunburn I'm calling it a vitamin D overdose

francisofascii 9mo ago

I would argue to do both in the winter, since sunlight has other benefits than just Vitamin D synthesis, like mitochondrial health and better circadian signaling for better sleep quality.

theptip 9mo ago

Don’t guess; just get your vitamin D levels tested. It’s $20, you can just buy it à la carte. For some people even in sunny areas, 5000 IU might be needed to get you in-range. This is highly individual.

theshrike79 9mo ago

Yeaaah, in Finland the sun just fucks off for multiple months over the winter. It's much cheaper to take a few pills than it is to travel 3000km south to see the sun for 30 minutes :D We even put Vitamin D in milk by default just so that people would get some extra.