Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Having pasty white skin isn't just a sign that you need to get out more—it could also be endangering your health.

According to a new study in Cancer Causes and Control, being whiter than Casper could prevent you from getting enough vitamin D (which your body makes after sun exposure), effectively limiting the amount of time you can spend in the sun before you start to burn.

Researchers at the University of Leeds in the U.K. examined vitamin D levels of 1,200 people. Of the 730 participants who tested vitamin D-deficient, those with the lowest levels had fair skin.

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Lead study author Julia Newton-Bishop, M.D., a dermatology professor at Leeds, says it's common sense. "If you have skin that burns in the sun, then you would avoid it," she explains. But even though you're protecting yourself from sunburns and potential skin cancer, you may be putting yourself at risk for lots of other diseases that researchers have linked to low levels of vitamin D, including certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Experts have said for years that most people produce enough vitamin D after just 15 minutes of daily sun exposure. But Newton-Bishop says most of the studies that led to this advice were conducted with half-naked people lying in the sun. In the real world, people stand outside wearing clothes, usually in partial shade from trees or buildings. Sunbathing will certainly up your vitamin D quotient, she says, but then you're at risk for sunburns or skin cancer.

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So what's a pale man to do? Newton-Bishop says the safest way to get your vitamin D is through a supplement. She advises sticking to the national daily allowance (in the U.S., that's 600 IU). But if you'd rather not pop pills, then a fatty fish like salmon or mackerel is the best natural source, Newton-Bishop says.

There's also plenty of foods that contain added vitamin D: Look for D-fortified milk, yogurt, O.J., and cereals in most grocery stores.  If you're not sure whether your vitamin D levels are on target, adds Newton-Bishop, have your doctor run a simple blood test to find out where you stand.

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