INDIANAPOLIS — Each day, we are gaining daylight, but does that mean we are benefiting from more vitamin D?
We've seen a lot of sunshine this week, and we've had our first sunsets after 6 p.m.
We are currently gaining about two minutes of daylight each day.
Your body needs sunlight to produce vitamin D. In the winter, the sun angle is lower compared to summer. This lower sun angle might mean you're not getting the UV-B rays from the sun that you need for vitamin D production.
"If you live in the Midwest and have winters, I would say that you're not getting enough vitamin D," said Taylor Parrish, a registered dietitian at Riley Hospital for Children. "You don't have the strong, unblocked sunlight."
Parrish continued that many people spend more time indoors in winter, and they have more of their skin covered because of the cold. These factors limit vitamin D production.
"In order to utilize vitamin D from the sun, you actually have to have it on direct skin for at least twenty minutes," Parrish continued.
Parrish recommends you should get this sun exposure four to five days a week.
Vitamin D is important for muscle, bone, and immune health. Physically, it may be difficult to tell when someone is deficient.
"It's more like how you would feel," explained Parrish. "Fatigue, or just mood changes, sleep issues, that can be a sign."
The best way to tell if you are deficient is through a routine blood test with your doctor. Parrish recommends if you only get one blood test a year, try to do it in the winter.
"Vitamin D levels in winter time are lower," she explained.
Optimal levels of vitamin D are between 50 and 80 nanomoles per liter. If you are below this level, your doctor can suggest the correct dosage of supplemental vitamin D.
Beyond sun exposure and taking vitamins, you can also get vitamin D in your diet. Foods like eggs, trout, salmon, dairy, or fortified dairy alternatives are good sources of vitamin D.
Anyone can face a vitamin D deficiency. Those at higher risk for deficiency include: kids, adults over age 65, and those with darker colored skin, those who are non-mobile, and those who are obese.
While your body can get too much vitamin D through supplements, your body will not overproduce vitamin D through sun exposure. What does this mean? You should soak up the sun when you get a chance in winter.
"Take advantage of any opportunity you have to get out in the sun," Parrish recommended. "Any little bit helps. There is no risk in getting more sunlight."
In winter, UV rays are not strong enough to get a sunburn, so there is no harm in getting the extra sun.
As the sun angle increases later this year, your body will be able to produce more vitamin D, which means the amount of vitamin you are supplementing may change through the seasons.
