Dec. 5, 2008

At this time of the year, respected researchers like Michael Holick, Ph.D. of Boston University say that 95% of us are vitamin D deficient.

That’s because our exposure to natural sunlight is so much less at this time of the year for obvious reasons that it’s impractical to walk around with face arms and legs exposed for 15 minutes when it’s 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside.

Now the American Dermatological Association comes up with the brilliant notion that we shouldn’t get our vitamin D from sunlight because it’s too likely to cause skin cancer.

This is part of a decades-long campaign conducted by dermatologists to hammer it into our heads that excessive sun exposure is hazardous to your health. I couldn’t agree more.

But you only need 15 minutes of direct sunlight three times a week to get your vitamin D from the sun.

At the median latitude in the United States (think of a line roughly from Washington to San Francisco), this is all you need. If you live south of the line, reduce your exposure by three to five minutes. If you live north of that line, add on three to five minutes. If you live in Alaska, you can probably safely tolerate as much as 30 minutes.

Take a look at my photo. I have very fair Celtic skin. I’m about as pale as humans come. I burn very easily, but I do not burn spending 15 minutes in direct sunlight three times a week.

The dermatologists need to stop panicking and look at the bigger picture. The health benefits of sufficient vitamin D intake are enormous.

Almost all of us need more of it.

Sunlight is simple. It’s free. And it’s vitally important to your health.

The human body can store enough vitamin D to last about three months, so about this time of year, we start feeling the deficiency. If you’re not into winter solstice sunbathing, a supplement will be fine to get you through the cold months.