At the time of writing we’re in the middle of the first signs of spring appearing in the UK. We’ve had 4 or 5 consecutive days of sun (if you’re not from here… trust me, that’s a lot for us!). The temperatures have reached the upper teens, sales of bbq food and ice creams have shot up. Pub beer gardens are full. You get the picture - the seasons are changing.

With the warm weather comes that uniquely British phenomena - overdoing the sun exposure. With us being unsure when the next rays of sunshine will appear, we head outside (often for too long without sunscreen) and end up pinker that a stick of Blackpool rock!

But that brings us to a serious point - vitamin D. We know that sun exposure is still the best way to generate vitamin D in the body, but how much is too much? Is there a safe level of sun exposure? With around 50% of the global population suffering from low levels of vitamin D, it’s time we address the science and see what we can be doing to make sure we don’t end up with low levels of vitamin D.

What happens when we lack Vitamin D?

The biggest problem with an insufficiency of vitamin D is bone weakness. It’s a vitamin that helps us to absorb calcium in the body, which is integral to the formation of new bone. That’s not the only issue though - diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Parkinsons disease, diabetes, hypertension and autoimmune diseases are all more prevalent in people with low levels of vitamin D.

There are other symptoms that are less severe such as…

  • Fatigue

  • Bone pain

  • Muscle weakness, muscle aches, or muscle cramps.

  • Mood changes

  • Reduced immunity

One of the quickest ways to see if your symptoms is to see if your problems disappear when you increase your level of sun exposure or even supplementation of vitamin d. If your mild symptoms clear up with a few sessions of sun exposure or within a couple of weeks of vitamin d supplements being taken, you' were probably just deficient, that’s all.

Can you get enough vitamin D from food?

The unfortunate answer is that no, not really. Even if you eat a richly-varied diet, the overwhelming likelihood is that you won’t be able to meet your vitamin D requirements. By far and away our best source of vitamin D is regular sun exposure, so if you live in a colder climate, in winter it makes sense to supplement daily.

The best food sources of vitamin D are…

  • oily fish such as salmon, sardines, pilchards, trout, herring, kippers and eel

  • cod liver oil contains a lot of vitamin D, but don’t take this if you are pregnant

  • egg yolk, meat, offal and milk contain small amounts but this varies during the seasons

  • margarine, some breakfast cereals, infant formula milk and some yoghurts have added vitamin D

Still eat these foods, but be aware that a good vitamin D supplement is beneficial too.

There’s strong evidence that regular vitamin D supplementation works over the long term, so it’s absolutely worth your while taking it. Risks of various diseases are reduced significantly thanks to vitamin D supplementation. If you live in the UK, a daily supplement between October and March is a good idea for maintaining healthy vitamin D levels.

Safe sun exposure - is there such a thing?

Concerns have been raised by some experts that we have become so cautious about sun exposure that we don’t have enough to maintain any notable vitamin D production. With heavy sun blocker being used by many people daily, not to mention actively seeking shade, some people in the UK suffer from chronic reduced vitamin D levels.

The fact is there is such a thing as safe sun exposure. According to NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) guidelines, the key is to avoid prolonged exposure during the peak sun hours. In the UK that’s generally 11.00-15.00. Their work suggests that you can still manufacture sufficient levels of vitamin D outside of these hours with some small skin exposure such as face, forearms and lower legs.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ advice with sun exposure - people with darker skin will be fine outside for longer. The key is to understand how your body reacts to sun exposure and work around that accordingly. Make sure you don’t expose your skin without sun blocker for a long period of time, and in the early parts of the warmer weather allow your skin to acclimatise by gradually increasing exposure.

The key is to not avoid sun completely - it’s good for you! Just ben sensible as to how you do it and when.

If you want your health and fitness journey to be guided by the best personal training team in East London, get in touch with us at AdMac Fitness. We operate from our private personal training studio in Bow, E3. Contact us on 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!