Forums >Health and Nutrition>Sun screen and Vitamin D
The summer heat and humidity has returned to Minnesota today. On a run with my running club in the bright hot sun, a question came up about sunscreen and vitamin D. Does the sunscreen block the body from creating vitamin D? I had a heavy coat of sunscreen on today, a lot sun but I wonder if I need the amount of vitamin D I need in winter?
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Yes, it probably has an effect. But it is debatable whether it is significant. And if you aren't anal about applying it every time you are outside, you may get enough exposure anyway.
And, vitamin D is one of the few where there has been little data to show that taking supplements can lead to to much. So if you are worried I would recommend taking a supplement vs getting more UV. But, I'd wager a lot of us get 30min 2X per week UV without sunscreen.
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Well, i would suggest you to get out in sun for at-least 10-15 minutes a day to get sufficient Vitamin D from sun. Since it is also recommended by a lot of health experts to stay healthy.
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I have a minor in Nutritional Sciences and for someone with fair-colored skin, it only takes 15 minutes or so to get enough Vitamin D. Longer if darker skin, less if lighter.
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Thanks. This was more of a "let's kill some time during the run" type of question among several of us who have math or scientific backgrounds but were talking about things that we knew nothing about. I am not at all worried about Vitamin D, I was just curious on a theoretical basis. Thanks, i will pass on this info to the group next time I see them.
I think individual differences play a part (at least somewhat). I have very fair skin, run for an average of an hour a day outside (and usually walk outside for at least 20 minutes in addition to that), only wear sunscreen for my long runs, and was taking a small vitamin D supplement, but I was still deficient in as vitamin D the last time I was tested. A lot of doctors are telling their patients these days to take a vitamin D supplement regardless of diet or sun exposure.
Awesome
I have an MD, and I had to take a nutritional course (followed by some classes on nutritional counseling - totally tangentially, they LOVED the DASH diet there), taught by our sister nutritional school as part of my education.
Latitude seems to play a factor. This is what our nutritionists had to say about Vitamin D and the Boston area: You can lie outside naked all day in New England from September to May and still not be able get enough sun to get your RDA of Vitamin D. I'd buy it - I've known several people who participate in lots of outdoor activities year round get tested with low vitamin D levels. I have to imagine Minnesota would be in the same boat.
And yes, sunscreen blocks your ability to make Vitamin D since it is the UV light that catalyzes the reaction. I don't know to what degree synthesis is affected.
spam
Yes,, I'd heard about it that the sunscreen actually blocks the creation of vitamin D in our body which is produced by the sun,, so I personally used to avoid sunscreen lotions when its not to sunny day, like some in cloudy weather I normally used to avoid sunscreens lotions.
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I enjoy sun a lot and wear only enough sunscreen to prevent burning. I will always wait at least 30 minutes to add sunscreen knowing my skin won't burn in that time. I have also seen some nasty stuff regarding side effects of ingredients in sunscreens. Maybe cancer from ingredients is more likely than skin cancer?????
For me, the sun is so therapeutic and Vit D is so crucial for many facets of health. I deal with bone healing and many patients up here in Wisconsin are asked to get tested when issues with bone healing and most are deficient in Vit D when results come in.
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