In this short article, we will answer the question “What vitamin comes from the sun?” and will show all the information you need in order to obtain this vitamin.
What vitamin comes from the sun?
The vitamin obtained from sunlight is called vitamin D.
Vitamin D, which can be received naturally and even in large amounts from the sun and helps to meet daily demands since it makes the body retain the calcium that it needs, is just as important for bone health as calcium in food consumed.
Sunbathing is crucial, but it’s also important to practise some basic exposure precautions.
In order to comprehend the connection between the sun and vitamin D, you need to be aware that when the sun’s rays hit the skin, they set off processes that result in the formation of this vitamin, which in turn ensures that calcium (like phosphorus) is in the intestines.
Absorbed nutrients support bone development and repair, cellular and neuromuscular activity, and, per some speculative medical research, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s, preeclampsia, hypertension, intestinal inflammations, and depression.
Supplements, fortified foods like milk, yoghurt, and baby food, as well as animal products like salmon, sardines, and tuna fish, as well as some irradiation vegetables and mushrooms, all contain vitamin D.
However, it is impossible to replace what is required by eating alone, and taking supplements without a doctor’s supervision carries hazards, making sunbathing more advised.
How much sun should I get to get enough vitamin D?
The answer is based on a lot of variables, including your age, health, weight, skin tone, and even where you live.
It is generally advised for healthy adults to sunbathe at least three times per week, without sunscreen in the exposed area because it inhibits the production of vitamin D.
On average, this should be done for 15 to 20 minutes per day for people with white skin, up to an hour for people with dark skin, and about 30 to 40 minutes for people with an intermediate skin tone.
If the person stays in the sun after this time, they should use sunscreen. The reason darker skin types require more sun exposure is that melanin levels increase the difficulty of the skin’s ability to absorb UV (ultraviolet) rays.
UV rays are important for the manufacturing of this vitamin. Up to six times less vitamin D is produced by those with dark skin than people with a lighter complexion.
What time of day is ideal for tanning?
The best time to encourage the obtaining of vitamin D is between 10 am and 3 pm, as this is when the incidence of UV rays reaches its peak.
Despite the fact that doctors advise against sunbathing between 10 am and 4 pm due to the risk of developing burns, eye injuries, and skin diseases, among the most dangerous of which is melanoma skin cancer.
However, it is best to avoid the midday sun in the summer, above 30°C, as it is quite powerful and harmful.
The good news is that leaving arms, hands, and legs exposed, or 15% of the body surface, is sufficient for vitamin D production for people who want to avoid exposing their heads or face.
Due to the Earth’s inclination and the weak or difficult arrival of the sun’s rays at the beginning and end of the day, as well as the fact that vitamin D absorption is much reduced on cloudy days despite the heat, obtaining vitamin D is hindered if exposure to light is behind glass windows.
Is it worthwhile to sunbathe once a week for several hours?
It is not advisable to try to produce vitamin D in a single day so that you won’t have to worry about it in the following days, or else to make up for the sun you missed the previous week.
This is because doing so can result in serious risks, including skin damage from hours of radiation exposure, longer absorption times if she tans excessively, and reduced ability to sunbathe if she becomes irritated.
The body tries to get rid of extra vitamin D that doesn’t get utilised. It is best to take supplements, which must be administered by a doctor and based on individual particularities.
If the person who wants to sunbathe continuously and without protection is deficient in vitamin D and therefore can produce it innately, whether because of their routine indoors since they work at night, or just because they live in a country with a cold climate.
Conclusion:
In this short article, we answered the question “What vitamin comes from the sun?” and we have shown you all the information you need in order to obtain this vitamin.