How much sun should you have afterall?
Apr 29
Scientists have been telling you to avoid sunbathing and protect ourselves from skin cancer. On the other hand, we should go out more for our body to produce vital Vitamin D. So how much sun is healhty? The healthcare messages are confusing, to say the least. One thing is clear: too little sun exposure can lead to a lack of vitamin D, which is known as the sunshine vitamin because up to 90 per cent of what we need comes from being exposed to sunlight. For a light-skinned person, 30 minutes of full-body exposure to summer sun at noon triggers the release of 20,000 IU of vitamin D into the circulation. That’s the equivalent of 500 micrograms of vitamin D, considerably more than the 25micrograms in high-dose supplements. The rule of thumb among doctors seems to be that you should expose a fifth of your body to the sun for 20 minutes, three or four times a week, without suncream.
