Vitamin D, sunlight, and coconut oil

[Taedareth]

This is on the TF forum rather than the Natural Home & Body forum because TF'ers are experts on vitamin D

When the weather turns sunny and you go out in shorts and tank tops to catch some rays and develop vitamin D - how are you going to manage your sun exposure? The information that has been posted on this forum multiple times (this article, for instance) says that we need at least 20 minutes a day of midday sun exposure directly on our skin (not through a t-shirt) and without sunscreen. But on the other hand, people with pale skin might burn easily if we follow that recommendation.

So, will you sit outside for your allotted 20 minutes and then run back inside? Or do you think it would be better to use a natural, low-level sunscreen like coconut oil (or shea butter or possibly extra virgin olive oil)? These oils tend to have an SPF of 4 (no more than SPF 6, anyway). Would you oil up and then go out in the sun for an hour or two? Or do you think the oil would prevent vitamin D production?

[guestmama9904]

i just follow my own skin's needs. for me I have olive toned skin and can take quite a bit of direct sunlight by my son is lighter and fairer skined and can handle less.

[phroggies]

I have pale skin and yet I don't burn all that easily. I have no idea why this should be the case. If I know I'm going to be out in baking sun for ages I'll put on sunscreen; otherwise I skip it. Same for DS who, like me, flushes easily when hot but hasn't had a burn yet. Now, it's true that I don't cultivate sun exposure, either--i.e., laying out, etc.

All that said, that's one of those "feels right to me" things. I have no idea whether it's a good idea and wouldn't necessarily recommend it to others.

And all that said, here's a recent article in Mother Earth News on Vit. D: http://tinyurl.com/ysmu5t

Here's what it says about the risks of getting too much sun:

Sunscreens also block UVB waves, the wavelength that stimulates the skin’s vitamin D production. According to Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., of the Boston University School of Medicine, a sunblock with SPF 8 reduces the skin’s vitamin D production by 95 percent. “If you wear sunscreen ‘properly,’ you’ll become vitamin D deficient,” he says.

But what about skin cancer? Despite increased sunscreen usage, skin cancer rates have risen. One reason is that, until recently, sunscreens didn’t impede deeply penetrating UVA light, and presumably, our false sense of security led to more time in the sun and an increase in skin cancer.

What should you do? “Be sensible,” Holick advises. “Know your own skin sensitivity.” For instance, if you turn pink after 30 minutes in the summer sun, thenspending five to 10 minutes (in a bathing suit) in the sun should generate plenty of vitamin D. After that, apply sunscreen, cover up and seek shade.

And just as a bonus, because I thought this was fascinating:

Shiitake mushrooms can be an exceptional source of vitamin D, as noted in research published in Paul Stamets’ book, Mycelium Running. Shiitake mushrooms grown and dried indoors have only 110 IU of vitamin D per 100 grams. But when the shiitakes were dried in the sun, the vitamin D content rose to 21,400 IUs per 100 grams. Even more surprising, when the mushrooms were dried with their gills facing up toward the sun, their content rose to 46,000 IU!

Is it just mushrooms and their weirdness, I wonder? Or would sun-drying (after all a very traditional method of storing food for winter usage) add vit. D content to all plants?

I have heard arguments but can't remember the specifics that burning easily is a nutritional issue. How or why, alas, I don't recall.

Off to read the Science News article. . .

[Taedareth]

That is insane! Where can I buy shiitake mushrooms sun-dried with their gills facing up??

[Ruthla]

Coconut oil is a mild sunscreen? That's great to know!

[CellarDoor]

If you go slowly, you can probably build up a bit of a protective tan in no time. Start at 5 minutes per day in a bathing suit and increase a bit each week. I would think getting up to 20 minutes/per day with no burn would only take a couple of weeks. I'm assuming you're fair here.

[Attached Mama]

i spend a lot of time outdoors - but use a sunscreen if out for a prolonged period all at once. but then i have fair skin and burn pretty easily

my dd will tan - even if i do put sunscreen on her. she's much more olive skinned than me.

[quietserena]

info on coconut oil as a sunscreen is near the bottom of this page