Although the body needs enough vitamin D, it must maintain a balance and avoid excessive exposure to the sun.
Mediclinic’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Darren Green, explains that vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining bone health, immune function and muscle activity.
Although the body can make its own through diet and exposure to sunlight, this requires special attention to avoid the risks of skin cancer and other health problems.
If you are sedentary and/or overweight, you are at particular risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Green warns against “staying out of the sun, being on our devices, being inactive, and staying indoors for much of the day.”
He also added that excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to a deficiency because the liver and kidneys regulate the body’s vitamin D.
Green recommends 10 to 15 minutes of midday sun exposure to produce enough vitamin D.
“UVB rays, the angle at which these rays strike the earth, are important. If you are outside and exposed between about 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., you only need about 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure to have sufficient vitamin D synthesis,” he concluded.
Vitamin D intake can also be increased with supplements, but your doctor will suggest these.
