Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Close Banner
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

Do You Need To Worry About Vitamin D In The Summer?

Susan Blum, M.D., MPH
Author:
December 09, 2019
Susan Blum, M.D., MPH
Internist & Functional Medicine Clinician
By Susan Blum, M.D., MPH
Internist & Functional Medicine Clinician
Susan Blum, M.D., MPH is a nationally recognized clinician, speaker, author, and teacher. She currently lives in Port Chester, New York, and received her master's in medicine from the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn and her master's in public health preventative medicine from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
December 09, 2019

Everyday someone asks me whether or not they need to take vitamin D in the summer, so I thought I'd explain why this vitamin is so important year round.

Vitamin D is much more than a vitamin. 

Every cell in your body has a receptor for D, which makes it more like a hormone than a vitamin. It supports your immune health, and it promotes calcium absorption*.

Yes, vitamin D is made by sunshine. However, in the northern latitudes, the sun is only strong enough to stimulate vitamin D production in your skin 3 to 4 months a year, typically from May through August. During these months, your skin will make enough D to maintain good levels of the vitamin in your blood, if you are outside for at least 20 minutes a day, without sunscreen, typically between 10 am and 2 pm, in shorts and a tank top.

In other words: your arms and legs need to be fully exposed without sunscreen during peak hours of maximum sun.

Do most people get this? No.

So if you walk or exercise outside, spend time in the garden or other outdoor activities regularly, and don’t use sunscreen every minute, you're probably OK taking the summer months off. But honestly, most of the patients I see don’t have an appreciable bump in their Vitamin D levels in the summer. They simply don’t get as much exposure as they think they need to stay on their normal regimen. And that could be you.

While I am certainly not advocating no sunscreen, I do think it would be OK to spend 20 minutes without it, if you're trying to get your D. Then go and slather up with a broad spectrum SPF!

Here are my suggestions: 

  1. If your vitamin D levels were in a good range before the summer (above 40 ng/mL) and you're outside most days during peak hours, you can probably take the summer off.
  2. If your vitamin D levels were low before the summer, or if you aren’t outside much without sunscreen during the middle of the day, you should continue your supplement.
  3. In my experience, 2000 IU (50 mcg)/day of vitamin D is the minimum amount to maintain your levels. If you're trying to raise them, double the dose to 4000 IU (100 mcg)/day for three months or until you're tested again.
  4. Always adjust your dose by following blood levels. Your primary care doctor can do this for you.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

What Is Meditation?

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Light Watkins

Box Breathing

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

What Breathwork Can Address

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

Nutrition | Rich Roll

What to Eat Before a Workout

Nutrition | Rich Roll

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Nutrition | Sahara Rose

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Love Languages

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Related Videos (10)

What Is Meditation?

Box Breathing

What Breathwork Can Address

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

What to Eat Before a Workout

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love Languages

Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

More On This Topic

more Health
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.