Vitamin D is often referred to as "the sunshine vitamin" because your skin can produce the vitamin with the help of sunlight. Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium, which helps maintain strong bones and teeth. Vitamin D also helps keep the immune system healthy and plays a role in cell differentiation. In order to get enough vitamin D, it is important to get regular sun exposure. You can also contribute to your vitamin D intake by consuming the vitamin in your diet.
Vitamin D
Your body can synthesize vitamin D in your skin when exposed to ultraviolet rays of the sun. The color of your skin determines how much vitamin D you are able to produce. A fair-skinned person produces vitamin D more quickly than a person with darker skin. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that someone with dark skin may need 3 hours of sun exposure to produce the same amount of vitamin D produced in 45 minutes by someone with lighter skin. In the northern areas of the United States, the winter months decrease the amount of ultraviolet rays that reach your skin, and therefore vitamin D production is reduced as well. Weather conditions, such as smog and cloud covers, can also reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches your skin.
Daily Recommendations
"Nutrition and You" by Joan Salge Blake notes that because it is not clear exactly how much vitamin D you get from the sun, the Food and Nutrition Board set daily recommendations for dietary vitamin D. Consuming vitamin D in your diet can ensure that you get enough vitamin D to keep your bones and immune system healthy. Infants up to the age of 12 months require 10 mcg per day. Young children and adults up to the age of 70 require 15 mcg of dietary vitamin D every day. Adults over the age of 70 cannot absorb vitamin D as efficiently as younger adults, so they have slightly increased vitamin D needs. Adults aged 71 and older need 20 mcg of vitamin D every day. The best sources of vitamin D include cod liver oil, fortified milk, fortified cereal, eggs and fatty fish, such as mackerel, herring, tuna, sardines and salmon, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Considerations
It is not possible to get too much vitamin D from the sun. When you have adequate amounts of the vitamin in your body, your skin stops producing it. The ultraviolet rays that help your body synthesize vitamin D are the same sun rays that cause sunburn, however, so it is important to wear sunscreen when you are going to be exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time.
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