Vitamin D Supplements Essential For “Fair-Skinned” Folk

Fair-skinned people who are prone to sunburn may need to take vitamin D supplements, a recent study by researchers at England’s Leeds University has shown.

The study – which involved sampling the vitamin D levels of around 1,200 people – revealed that those with very pale skin may be unable to spend enough time in the sun to make the amount of vitamin D the body needs while also avoiding sunburn.

So what is the optimal amount of vitamin D one needs?

While there is no universally agreed standard definition of an optimal level of vitamin D, the study used a rate of at least 60nmol/L.

While most people can generate this amount of vitamin D from around 10-15 minutes exposure to sunlight a day, the UK research team said many pale-skinned people did not appear able to produce enough of the vitamin when subjected to the same conditions and light.

During the study, which was published in Cancer Causes and Control, researchers additionally discovered that sunlight and supplements are not the only factors that can determine the level of vitamin D in a person’s body.

It seems that there are some inherited differences in the way people’s bodies process vitamin D into the active form that also have an effect on people’s vitamin D levels.

Do you take vitamin D supplements? If you’re fair-skinned, will you now?

via Daily Mail