I like to be bare (at home, don’t worry, I don’t inflict the sight upon members of the public). So I shut the blinds and light enters via the rooflights (of my caravan).

Is the VitD element blocked by the plastic? It’s bit cold this time of year to have the rooflights actually open.

Does it have to be actually sunny?

I thought you could absorb VitD through your eyes? Or have I got that completely wrong?

Thanks

Vitamin D through skin. It’s the production of melatonin that is stimulated by the effect of light on eyes.

EDIT : I wouldn’t expect the plastic roof light of your caravan to provide enough ultraviolet light. Go outside in the sunshine 🙂

Through the skin, but in UK there is no uv light of the correct wavelength between about october to march for any significant vit D production.
So is one of the few supplements useful to “normal” well nourished people, 1000IU/day is a good dose from food or pills as preferred

or eat a nice fish and mushroom omelette. In the dark. In the nude.

maccruiskeen – Member

or eat a nice fish and mushroom omelette. In the dark. In the nude.

😯 – are you watching me?

or eat a nice fish and mushroom omelette

As per the other threads: if you want your recommended amount of Vitamin D from your diet then you need to eat two tins of sardines a day! Every day.

Bleurgh!

OR, get 40 minutes of daylight onto your skin no windows (and you have to be naked to get the full benefit)

are you watching me?

I’m leading by example

Very similar to the increase of testosterone production with sunlight onto the uncovered scrotum 😉

You might find this website covers the details on Vit D:

Your body was designed to generate its own Vit D through the skin, but in the UK you need strong sunlight direct on the skin between Apr-Oct around 1100-1500. Up north the time preiod is a bit more restricted, down south in midsummer a bit longer. But make sure you don’t get to the point where you get any redness – normally 10-15mins several times a week. There just is not enough UV of the necessary wavelength during the other months. Sunlight (specifically blue light) on the retina is makes melatonin, which is nothing to do with Vit D, it’s about sleep cycles and jet lag. Exposure through glass or plastic will not be effective for vitamin D, but will for melatonin.

A very few specific foods, mainly oliy fish, have significant amounts of vit D, but you do need to eat them consistenly. In the US some foods are fortified with vitamin D – so if you see comments on websites like “drinking milk gives you the vitamin D you need” that does not apply in the UK.

Your body was designed…

That’s a matter of debate, although ‘science’ tends to fall on the side of it not being so.

cod liver oil, like your granny used to tell you. not in those tablets either, proper and nasty spoonfuls…

In the US some foods are fortified with vitamin D – so if you see comments on websites like “drinking milk gives you the vitamin D you need” that does not apply in the UK.

In the UK there is a legal requirement to add Vit D to all butter-like spreads (what was formerly known as margarine) eg flora. It’s also voluntarily added to most breakfast cereals I believe.

BTW you forgot to mention that vitamin D can be stored in the body for months, otherwise all the people who don’t take Vit D supplements would have a deficiency in winter. And as far as I know most people don’t take Vit D as a supplement and most people aren’t deficient of Vit D.

Marmite, butter and bagel?

(Beats self to death over the pleasurable thought)

Christ is this still going! You get plenty of Vit D in the summer months to not need any in the winter, unless your medically unwell, or paranoid.

unless your medically unwell, or paranoid.

..or you are one of the 50% of the population that don’t.

But is it 50% of white skinned adults below the age of 65 who aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding or housebound ? According to Department of Health anyone who falls in that category, which I believe Karinofnine does, doesn’t need Vit D supplement.

Apparently a lot of people aren’t getting enough vit D because they are covering up and slathering on factor 30 sun cream at the slightest hint of sun. I think it’s recommended that you have about 15 min of unprotected UK sun exposure (enough without your skin turning red). You can overdose on vit D supplements so you need to be careful with them.

Doc found my wife was Vit D deficient and prescribed her with megadose of D; she did tend to try and avoid the sun.

Christ is this still going! You get plenty of Vit D in the summer months to not need any in the winter, unless your medically unwell, or paranoid.

… or live in Scotland.

Does using a sunbed work?

According to the missus, yes. She had a patient referred by a GP with unusually high Vitamin D. Patient was mahogany and said she used a sunbed every day.

Not her trickiest diagnosis 😀