Spring is here: What to know about vitamin D, best times to get it
Vitamin D: What to know, best times to soak it up
Spring brings a sense of renewal and excitement, marked by blossoming flowers and new growth. With that, FOX 10 Meteorologist Erica Horvatin discusses the significance of vitamin D and the best times to soak it up.
PHOENIX - Spring is an exciting time of year for many reasons. It is a season of blooms, growth, restarting and refreshing!
The backstory:
Some would say spring is the season of health after winter brings illness.
A big reason for that is because many people suffer from vitamin D deficiencies during the winter as the sun stays low in the sky, and those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere stay indoors.
The sun is a major source of vitamin D for humans, because as UVB radiation from the sun makes its way to earth and absorbs into our skin, our skin synthesizes the radiation into Vitamin D3. This can be an even better source of vitamin D than supplements alone.
Why you should care:
The problem is that the sun’s UVB radiation is not able to make it to the Earth’s surface year round.
UVB radiation can make it to Earths’ surface when the sun is at over a 45-degree angle in the sky above you, and as long as clouds or ozone don't absorb the UVB.
The sun's angle changes year round as the earth spins on its axis around the sun.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun angle is highest during the summer, and lowest during the winter. The sun reaches the minimum angle of 45 degrees starting in March, and ending in October.
What you can do:
The peak sun angle happens on the summer solstice, and people in the Northern Hemisphere can receive vitamin D from the sun from around 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the summer months.
Keep in mind that the best way to absorb UVB and your daily dose of vitamin D is to expose your skin to the sun for around ten to 37 minutes a day, without sunscreen.
This equals out to a recommended dose of 1000 IU per day of vitamin D, according to the National Institutes of Health.
It is very important to note that UVB rays do cause cancer if your skin is over-exposed. This means that beyond the short period of ten to 37 minutes, you should still use sunscreen for the majority of the time you are outside.
Once the sun falls to a low peak sun angle in October, you will need to keep up with vitamin D supplements to avoid a deficiency throughout the winter.