Does Sunlight Provide Adequate Vitamin D for the Body?

Sun is considered the major source of vitamin D. Despite the regular availability of a large amount of sunlight, many people face vitamin D deficiency. How can it be possible when naturally you have such a large resource of vitamin D at your behest?

This is because you cannot remain in the sunlight all the time as only the sunlight of the early morning is good for your health. Over exposure to harsh sunlight can cause skin burns, irritation and even can lead to skin cancer.

Moreover, the requirement of sunlight varies from person to person and mostly depends upon the weather conditions in your area, your skin type, time of the day and year.

Here are some of the facts about sunlight and vitamin D production in your body:

• In tropical countries like India where the weather is quite hot almost all the year-round, standing in sunlight for around 10 to 15 minutes every day in between 11 am to 3 pm is sufficient to provide you with the required amount of vitamin D.
• For better production of vitamin D in your body through sunlight, you must take a sunbath with fewer clothes because the larger the exposed areas more are the vitamin D production.
• People who have darker skin should spend more than regular time under the sun to produce an adequate amount of vitamin D as compared to fair-skinned people in whom the production of vitamin D is much faster.
• In certain countries with cloudy and cold weather almost all the year-round, the only way to get adequate vitamin D is through food sources.