RISKS:

People who don’t get enough Vitamin D can be at risk of bone diseases like osteoporosis. There is also growing medical evidence that it is an anti-cancer vitamin and that not enough Vitamin D could be linked with some of the common and dangerous cancers. People who are most at risk of Vitamin D deficiency include the elderly, people with dark or black skin especially those living in less sunny northern climates (dark skin takes longer than white skin to produce Vitamin D) and people who cover up for religious reasons. People who live in northern Europe where there is less sun, especially during the winter months, also limit their opportunities to make Vitamin D, as well as people who work indoors who have little outdoor exposure.

NO SUNLIGHT:

The more time you spend indoors during daylight hours, the fewer chances your skin has to make Vitamin D. Studies have shown that within six weeks of staying indoors with no exposure to sunlight, Vitamin D levels in the body can drop significantly. Here’s what the British Medical Journal wrote about Vitamin D this year: “Sun exposure is the main source of Vitamin D, which reduces the risk of colon, breast, prostate, and other cancers”, writes Professor Cedric Garland at the University of California.

“People in the UK cannot synthesise Vitamin D from November to March, so become deficient by December, he says. Therefore, supplementation of the diet with vitamin D would be helpful, in addition to encouraging moderate exposure to the sun. “Residents of the UK should aim for 10-15 minutes a day in the sun when the weather allows, without sunscreen, to allow synthesis of Vitamin D”, he concludes.

Source: British Medical Journal Vol.327/p1228.  February 2004