Sunlight and vitamin d

[harleyharhar]

Ok so we all know the role of morning sunlight with vitamin d but i was just wondering how about exposure to noon or afternoon sunlight? Does the body still produce vit d when exposed to sunlight at that time? Not that i want to get exposed on purpose to sunlight at those times but of course it is something that happens commonly

[Tall_Allen]

UVB light + 7-dehydrocholesterol in skin creates previtamin D3, which at body temperature isomerizes to vitamin D3. This reaction occurs any time of day, but UVB is strongest at noon.

Sunlight (in moderation) also has immune stimulant effects (increasing T-cell motility), which may more important in fighting cancer than Vitamin D (higher than normal Vitamin D has no cancer fighting benefit):

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Sunlight may also be beneficial in preventing prostate cancer by degrading folic acid (high serum folate is associated with risk of prostate cancer) and regulating circadian rhythm (night-shift work has sometimes been found to be associated with risk of breast and prostate cancer).

[Magnus1964]

Exposure between 10am and 2pm is best.

[tango65]

You may be interested in this article:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[LearnAll]

Strong sunlight along with saturated fats on skin such as coconut oil ...creates the most Vitamin D. Do Not take a bath/shower for 2 hours after sunbath to let the skin Vit D to seep inside the blood vessels.

[pjoshea13]

"... the sun has to be high enough in the sky for the ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) rays that we use to make vitamin D to get through the atmosphere to us. The sun is only at the right angle (higher than 50 degrees) above the horizon between May and September from 10am to 3pm. "

“A helpful way to tell if the sun is high enough for you to make vitamin D is using the shadow rule - when your shadow is equal in length to your height or shorter you will get enough sunlight for vitamin D production, if it’s longer you won’t.”

-Patrick

[GeorgeGlass]

Short periods of time around noontime is best because the spectrum of light is more broad than it is in the morning or night. It's best to shade your face and get it on the other parts of your body.

[Getz in reply to GeorgeGlass]

Mate this gets more confusing. I had read that if your shadow is longer than you are tall you are getting infrared light, which is also beneficial.

[GeorgeGlass in reply to Getz]

Ya, I get infrared in my infrared sauna too. I just meant to protect the skin on your face and head. It is more vulnerable to skin cancer and age spots too.

[Getz in reply to GeorgeGlass]

So, walking along the beach barefoot, in the early morning, with shirt off, has benefits? I'm in Nth Qld Australia so mid-day is not a good time, just too darn hot and gives sunburn which develops into skin cancer. Will the early morning sun (about an hour) give me enough vit D?

[GeorgeGlass in reply to Getz]

Yes, that is plenty of sun in the morning but I would still take vitamin D3 supplements so that your blood levels are between 50-80. You can ask your doc to test your Vit D levels in your blood. I take 8,000IU of D3 daily and my D3 level is 50. 60-80 is optimal for immune health. If you are in the sun at mid-day when it is strong, then you only need about 4-8 minutes.

[Cramlingtonboy]

During daylight savings time, the sun is highest around 1pm.

[monte1111 in reply to Cramlingtonboy]

At first I laughed. And then I said "Is this true?" And then I thought of poor Archimedes, "This damn sundial doesn't work anymore."

[rscic]

Nalakrats is correct ..... additionally, there has to be a minimum sun angle in order to produce vitamin D. In much of the world this is NOT in the early morning as the sun angle is not enough & furthermore NOT in the winter as the sun angle is NOT enough. I live in the southern US in the Las Vegas area. When I go for a swim around noon for an hour or 2 in the summer outdoors I make the most Vitamin D (the most direct sunlight of the day with most of my body exposed). I do know of cases of low Vit-D in the Las Vegas area. These individuals are working full time, going to school & have a family .... as a result they have low sun exposure. In our modern society where we are mostly indoors, supplementation makes sense ..... ESPECIALLY during the winter.

Also remember, much of what we know about life habits & cancer are associations. There often is no definite "cause & effect" shown. GUESSES (aka as a hypothesis) on cause & effect are made based on associations. This can point us down the right path but can be misleading ..... after all, fire trucks are associated with fires but no one thinks they cause them. So, as new information comes to light one needs to be willing to adjust your stance/opinions based on the totality of information. Review studies are often good for interpreting & summarizing the totality of information on a particular subject.

There are nearly always confounding factors. With Vit-D any cancer suppressing effects might be due to the Vit-D or might be due to the fact that those with high Vit-D (high Vit-D in our society is often due to sunlight as few take the high doses of Vit-D required for high Vit-D levels) often have an active outdoor lifestyle & the "Vit-D effect" might be due to exercising more (an exercise effect .... those with higher Vit-D may be getting it from sunlight & when one is outdoors more often one might be exercising more ..... so, in this scenario, the effect might be from exercise but look like it was from Vit-D).

Finally, one study is one study. ALL studies have a mathematical chance of error. This is why studies are repeated just to make it less likely the 1st study was not just a random finding. Generally speaking & all things being equal, in a well run study, the bigger the study (the more individuals in the study) the less chance for random error ..... but the chance for random error ALWAYS exists.

Just some opinions.

[Jalbom49]

There is an app DMINDER that tracks your D from the sun. Free

[monte1111]

I look out the window a lot. There's no vitamin D in inside light?

[Cramlingtonboy in reply to monte1111]

Glass screens out a lot of UV rays.

[HerbieP]

As many have said, you get the most exposure when the sun is high. I have an app on my mobile phone called "dminder" (tracks your vitamin D supplementation and natural exposure) that will use your location info and tell you how much vitamin D equivalents you get from sun exposure based on time of day and how you are dressed. It gives you a notification when you've had enough exposure and are getting near too much.

[sewmom]

If supplementing with Vit D3, make sure bottle is also combined with Vit K2/M-7. Make sure you eat a heavy meal or higher fat content food w Vit D3 supplementation to get better absorption. Currently levels above 50 are best as they help with producing less respiratory systems of CV19. Sun exposure best way to get Vit D3 10a-2p depending on skin color 20-30 minutes can produce a minimum of 10k I.U. Also Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium work with Vit D3/K2. LEF dot ORG has blood testing that you can do on your own anytime, no waiting on Drs, most who have scoffed at doing a Vit D test along with fasting insulin, etc.

[j-o-h-n]

In the Pines you get two seasons Hot or Wet..........

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Sunday 03/07/2021 6:09 PM EST

[MrG68]

As a general rule, your shadow cast from the sun needs to be smaller than your height. The smaller the shadow the more D3 will be produced. You are supposed to expose as much skin as possible with the exception of your face. If you’re light skinned, you do this until your skin turns pink. At that point you coverup. Different UV exposures due to time of day and different latitudes result in different times required. Generally, with good UV, you may turn pink on about 15-30 mins. Obviously the more you tan, the longer this will take.

If you are dark skinned you need a LOT more exposure x6+ more.

It’s important that you don’t overexpose because obviously you’ll burn. That can lead to skin cancers.

Hope that helps.