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Why is Vitamin D Important and How Much Sun Do I Need to Maintain Healthy Levels?
Vitamin D has an important role in not only bone health, but also iron absorption and immune system regulation. It is important in optimal recovery after exercise and minimising risk of injury.
The most common symptoms of low vitamin D are:
- Muscle pain
- Bone pain/injury
- Increased sensitivity to pain
- A tingly, “pins-and-needles” sensation in the hands or feet
- Muscle weakness in body parts near the trunk of the body, such as the upper arms or thighs
- Muscle twitches or tremors
- Muscle spasms
These symptoms are not always obvious though, and can be dismissed as general exercise fatigue if living a high performance lifestyle. Many people with low vitamin D may notice other signs involving other systems of the body before noticing these specific symptoms.
Vitamin D has a role to play in absorbing iron as well as in immune system regulation. For this reason symptoms of low iron (e.g. lethargy, general sense of weakness, headaches, pale skin, metallic taste) as well as constantly getting ill, could be a sign of low vitamin D.
While our skin can absorb most of our vitamin D from the sun, we can also obtain some vitamin D from our diet. Foods that contain Vitamin D include oily fish, eggs and some mushrooms.
I don’t know about you, but I have no idea how much sun exposure I need to meet my recommended daily intake of vitamin D… so I decided to do some research.
This link has great information;
https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au/your-bone-health/vitamin-d-bone-health/, but to summarise:
| Fair/Olive Skin with 10% skin exposed (hands/face) between 10am-3pm | Summer | Winter |
| Sydney | 10-20min 4x per week | 30-60min 4x per week |
| Melbourne | 10-20min 4x per week | >1hr 4x per week |
- with 35% skin exposed (shorts/t-shirt) in summer only 5min 4x per week between 10am and 3pm will provide sufficient vitamin D.
- darker skin types (black/brown) require longer or more skin exposure to obtain similar amounts of vitamin D as fair/olive skin. (e.g. 20min of 35% skin exposure in summer).
- It can be difficult to obtain enough sun exposure in winter (especially if you work/study indoors) and often supplements might be required.
If you suspect you may be suffering from low vitamin D have a chat with your GP – a basic blood test will reveal any vitamin D or iron deficiencies.
Categories :
Performance Medicine
