Vitamin D Ten minutes in the sun are enough

Just a few minutes in the sun supply the body with enough vitamin D.

08/04/2014

Vitamin D is of particular importance for bone formation and is also associated with the immune system and various other health aspects. Only limited amounts of vitamin D can be supplied to the body via the diet, however, the body's own vitamin D is formed in direct sunlight or contact with UV-B radiation in the skin. Dietary supplements with vitamin D are therefore usually not required, but they can be quite helpful in exceptional situations, reports the Society for Information on Vital Substances and Nutrition (GIVE).

Already a stay of about ten minutes in the sun is currently sufficient to form the required amount of vitamin D, reports the news agency „dpa“ citing the information provided by the Society for Information on Vital Substances and Nutrition. On the occasion of a survey published in early April, which came to the conclusion that dietary supplements in the form of vitamin D supplementation bring no benefit, the GIVE has pointed in a recent press release on the weaknesses of the study and identified ways in which possibly even a dietary supplement with vitamin D can be useful.

Much of the population is inadequately supplied with vitamin D.
According to the GIVE, an inadequate supply of vitamin D is also found in Germany in the majority of the population. However, the deficits could by the „Stay in the sun and eat vitamin D rich foods (such as fatty sea fish)“ be relatively easily counteracted. Nevertheless, GIVE does not share the complete rejection of vitamin D supplements. Alternatively it is „Also possible with dietary supplements or fortified foods“ against the vitamin D deficiency, according to the GIVE. Just how important vitamin D is to health is highlighted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report, in which vitamin D is believed to be essential for the normal development of bones and teeth in infants and toddlers, the maintenance of normal bones and teeth functioning immune system and a healthy inflammatory response is described. EFSA also mentions maintaining muscle function and reducing the risk of falls as an advantage of adequate vitamin D supplementation. (Fp)