I heard somewhere that determining the "D" level via a CBC blood draw, is a rather involved deal, costing extra bucks. My wife had it checked on doctor's orders some years ago, it was low. I spend so much time in the sun, I can't imagine a shortage in my case.
If you use sunscreen then it doesn't matter how much you're in the sun. When I didn't have insurance I didn't get the test for D all the time but it's not outrageous. I could afford it and now medicare should cover it for me. I don't spend much time in the sun so I'll probably take the vitamin forever.
It is not surprising there is a Vitamin D deficiency The body needs two things to produce vitamin D one is cholesterol and with the Phobia about cholesterol people do not have enough the second is sun light and the phobia of getting cancer we don’t get enough.
I don't have any phobias about either but I'm not a sun worshipper and I'd just rather take the vitamin pill, much easier.
I am a plus size gal who avoids the heat of the day. But I guess I do ok as my last vitamin D levels where within normal levels. However, my 17 year old son who lives on the computer is Vitamin D deficient. He now has to take a weekly tablet. Isn't that a shame?? And all he needs to do is spend 30 minutes to an hour a day and he wouldn't have to take a pill.
That's too bad, even my grandsons get outside although they love being on their iPhones. The oldest likes swimming and skim boarding, the 12 year old plays golf and is very good at it. Both go out and shoot hoops in the back occasionally too. They both Ike air soft guns too. I just burn in the sun or get freckles. Never tan. I had to check your age....your son is the same age as my oldest grandson. now I feel old.
In the summertime, both Bobby and I get out in the sun as much as we can. Bobby always gets a totally magnificent suntan, and doesn't burn at all. I am more heat-sensitive, but I go out when it is not the middle of the day and direct sunlight bearing down on us. This year, we have been trying to spend at least a little time out in the back yard swimming pool since we got it set up, and I am starting to get a tan, too. Even when I was a teenager, I was not able to just go out and lay on the beach in the sun like most of the other teenagers did back then. I grew up near a beautiful lake; so swimming was part of summertime life. I enjoyed spending the time at the beach, and did get suntanned; but not like the girls who could just spend the day on their beachtowels laying in the sun. We also take D3, so hopefully, we are getting enough of it, even in the winter when we do not get as much sunshine as we do now.
@Chrissy Page I heard a commentary a few days ago, citing some recent study concluding 2 things: Many folks vacation away from home for a week or two, desiring a nice tan to show off upon return home, instead come back badly sunburned; these are far more likely to get skin cancer someday as opposed to: Folks who maintain a tanned skin all the time are far less likely to get skin cancer during their lifetimes. In my case, at least in adulthood, I have always been fairly deeply tanned, been so all my life, never used any sunscreen whatsoever, never experienced any ill effect (yet). Frank
I don't know how accurate that is. My uncle was like you, always tan and he had a few melanomas removed. My mom tanned in her youth and also had one or two removed. Neither one died of skin cancer but did have cancerous melanomas. All later in life. They didn't use sunscreen. My dad always burned like me, he didn't use sunscreen either but he never had any cancers and lived to 92. I've never gotten tan, even when I would be outside for long periods. So I really don't know and since I really don't like to sit in the sun, I'll just stick with that. It could be true what you say but it wasn't the case with my uncle or mom. They never really burned and would tan easily.
Lack of sufficient Vitamin D causes faulty bone mineralization as described in the article. I get my Vitamin D from fish liver oil, from spending twenty minutes in the sunshine, or from drinking vitamin D-fortified milk.
A very striking release from the Veteran's Administration regarding suicide and Vitamin D. If you don't take a supplement, please start if you can.
20 Minutes is nothing, was it Summer Sun, hardly any clothes on your body....get tested and you are probably low if not deficient. Covid may have never been what it was if people were optimum with Vit D (hormone) But then again I question covid19 in genearl.. and if GOVT cared, Vit D talk would be all over the creepy Media.