The sun is God’s gift to mankind, and it has many benefits. It’s time to take a look at one of its benefits. One of the things we need it for is in the production of Vitamin D. That’s why vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin.
Vitamin D is not a true vitamin. It’s a seco-steroid – that’s a story for another time.

Sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D through a fascinating process that involves your skin, liver, and kidneys. I don’t want to bore you with the process, so I’m going to share Vitamin D’s health benefits:

1. It regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.
   These 2 minerals are crucial for stronger bones and teeth.
   
2. It boosts immunity.
   The immune system plays a big role in fighting infections and destroying precancerous and cancerous cells, so it needs all the help it can get.
   
3. It supports brain and mood health.
   Vitamin D plays a role in the production of serotonin and dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitters.
   
4. Reduces inflammation.
   Inflammation is said to be the root cause of chronic diseases. However, it’s not always bad. There are 2 types of inflammation: chronic and acute. It’s when it’s chronic that it becomes harmful. Vitamin D plays a big role in reducing inflammation.
   
5. It improves muscle function.
   Vitamin D improves muscle function by enhancing calcium regulation within muscle fibres.
   
6. It plays a huge role in hormonal balance.
   It influences insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, and it supports healthy thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive hormones.

DON’T JOKE WITH VITAMIN D!!!

Even though we get this beneficial vitamin D from the sun, we can’t afford to be overexposed to the sun!
This leads me to “When is the Best Time for Sun Exposure?”

Late morning to early afternoon.
From 10 am – 2 pm is ideal because that’s when UVB rays are strongest. Spending about 10–20 minutes of sun exposure on the arms, face, and legs, 3–4 times a week, is enough for most people. However, people with darker skin tones may need slightly longer exposure.

Here is why people with darker skin tone need longer exposure:

People with darker skin tone have a higher melanin content in their skin. You may be wondering what melanin is. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its colour. The more melanin you have, the darker your skin. Melanin interferes in 2 ways;

1. Melanin Acts Like a Natural Sunscreen.
   It also absorbs and blocks UVB rays from the sun, which are the same rays needed for vitamin D production.
   
2. Reduces UVB Penetration.
   Secondly, since UVB rays penetrate the skin less in darker tones, this then slows down the conversion of a precursor into pre-vitamin D3.

How does this impact the effective exposure time?

While Light-skinned individuals may need 10–15 minutes of midday sun exposure to make sufficient vitamin D, Dark-skinned individuals may need 30–45 minutes or even more, depending on how dark their skin is, location, and season.

You now know why people with dark skin, especially those living in regions with less sunlight (like the UK), are more prone to vitamin D deficiency. This is where the role of dietary sources and supplements comes in.

When Are Supplements Necessary?
There are situations where relying on sunlight alone isn’t enough, such as:

1. Having “Dark” skin tones.
   Anyone with dark skin like me needs more time in the sun to produce enough vitamin D. That’s why I take vitamin D supplements.
   
2. When living in regions with low sunlight, e.g., the UK, especially in autumn/winter and during these seasons, it gets dark as early as 4/5 pm.
   
3. When people are limited to outdoor exposure.
   This is particularly true for people with office jobs and who work night shifts.
   
4. Older age (Growing older).
   As we grow older, our skin produces less vitamin D naturally.
   
5. Medical conditions.
   Some medical conditions affect absorption, e.g., obesity, gut issues, and kidney disease.

In these cases, a high-quality vitamin D3 supplement, not D1 nor D2, is required.
It’s ideal to combine with vitamin K2 (not vitamin K1) and magnesium. I will explain why we need the combo of magnesium and vitamin K2 in a later post.

Dietary Sources include:

Animal sources are the best natural sources, eg, wild salmon( I only buy wild-caught salmon), sardines, mackerel, canned tuna, and egg yolk. I love them all except tuna.

Plant-based sources include mushrooms – I love mushrooms and consume them regularly. There are different ones. They can be powerful immune boosters. Apart from fresh mushrooms, powder forms and supplements are available. I use all.

Why Sunlight Is a Better & Natural Source than Supplements.

1. It provides a Natural Form of Vitamin D.
   The body produces vitamin D3 when exposed to UVB rays, which is the most “effective” and “bioavailable” form.
   Many supplements contain D2, which is less potent instead of high-quality and active Vitamin D3.
2. The Sun provides Better Regulation.
   With sun exposure, your body self-regulates vitamin D production.
   If you get enough, your skin naturally slows down production, preventing toxicity, which supplements cannot do.
3. Also, Sunlight has Additional Benefits such as:

• Sun exposure boosts serotonin and dopamine, improving mood. That’s why people who live in countries that have seasons like autumn & winter experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a form of depression that is seasonal.
• It helps regulate your circadian rhythm and sleep quality.
• It supports immune health beyond just vitamin D production.

I hope this gives us insight into the importance of sunlight and vitamin D.

I’ll be running a 21-day kick out Hypertension Naturally Challenge that starts on the 15th of September. Hypertension is a silent killer that you can heal naturally. Medications won’t reverse hypertension.

Here’s the link:
https://opeoluwaokulaja.com/kickout-hypertension/

I am a retired pharmacist of over 42 years of experience who is now certified as a Health & Wellness Coach and Consultant.