Sunbathing and tanning often get a bad rap in our society, but mounting evidence is revealing that moderate sun exposure at healthy levels is not only safe, but necessary. While burning and extreme sun exposure can lead to a slightly increased cancer risk, vitamin D (obtained from sun exposure) has been linked to a lower risk of many other cancers.
Vitamin D Important for Disease Prevention
In many cases we (sometimes literally) cut off our noses to spite our face when it comes to the sun. One study at the Oslo University Hospital in Norway found that the benefits of sun exposure far surpassed any risk:
It can be estimated that increased sun exposure to the Norwegian population might at worst result in 200-300 more CMM deaths per year, but it would elevate the vitamin D status by about 25 nmol/l (nanomoles per liter) and might result in 4,000 fewer internal cancers and about 3,000 fewer cancer deaths overall.
Other studies have found links between low-vitamin D levels and Parkinson’s Disease, bone disease, blood clots, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. A recent study even found that regular sun exposure helped women to live longer. Yet another study found that regular sun exposure could cut breast cancer risk in half!
Vitamin D during Pregnancy and Nursing
Vitamin D is essential during pregnancy and nursing as adequate blood levels of vitamin D have been linked to lower premature labor and overall complication risk. Low vitamin D levels can put a mom at higher risk for gestational diabetes and can lead to bone or other problems for the baby. Another recent study found that pregnant women should get more sun to increase several health markers for themselves and their babies.
This article from the Vitamin D council details the many ways that vitamin D supports a healthy pregnancy, including:
Dr. Joyce Lee and her colleagues at the University of Michigan studied 40 pregnant women, the majority taking prenatal vitamins. Only two had blood levels >50 ng/mL and only three had levels >40 ng/mL. That is, 37 of 40 pregnant women had levels below 40 ng/mL, and the majority had levels below 20 ng/mL. More than 25% had levels below 10 ng/mL.
Dr. Lisa Bodnar, a prolific Vitamin D researcher, and her colleagues at the University of Pittsburg studied 400 pregnant Pennsylvania women; 63% had levels below 30 ng/mL and 44% of the black women in the study had levels below 15 ng/mL. Prenatal vitamins had little effect on the incidence of deficiency.
Dr. Dijkstra and colleagues studied 70 pregnant women in the Netherlands, none had levels above 40 ng/mL and 50% had levels below 10 ng/mL. Again, prenatal vitamins appeared to have little effect on 25(OH)D levels, as you might expect since prenatal vitamins only contain 400 IU of Vitamin D.
Thus, more than 95% of pregnant women have 25(OH)D levels below 50 ng/mL, the level that may indicate chronic substrate starvation. That is, they are using up any Vitamin D they have very quickly and do not have enough to store for future use. Pretty scary.
These chronic low vitamin D levels during pregnancy might be responsible for an increased risk of necessary cesarean section birth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and vaginal infection in the mother and a higher risk of autism, mental disorders, infection, low birth weight, and heart/lung/brain problems among others.
“As a rule, in the absence of significant sun exposure, we believe that most healthy children need about 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily per 11 kg (25 lb) of body weight to obtain levels greater than 50 ng/mL. Some will need more, and others less. In our opinion, children with chronic illnesses such as autism, diabetes, and/or frequent infections should be supplemented with higher doses of sunshine or vitamin D3, doses adequate to maintain their 25(OH)D levels in the mid-normal of the reference range (65 ng/mL) — and should be so supplemented year-round (p. 868).”
Many kids aren’t even getting ¼ of that on a good day, and often when they do, it comes from the less useable vitamin D2. To this note, I would highly recommend testing your vitamin D levels, especially if pregnant!
Vitamin D and Oral Health
I’ve talked about this in depth before but I am convinced that the combination of low-vitamin D levels, low intake of other fat soluble vitamins/beneficial fats and high levels of phytic acid in the diet are partially to blame for the rampant oral health problems we see today. Since vitamin D has been found so important during pregnancy, it is logical that if a mother has low amounts of blood vitamin D, her baby could have trouble forming healthy bones and teeth.
In my own experience, optimizing my vitamin D levels, taking fermented cod liver oil, and removing phytic acid from my diet made a tremendous difference in my oral health.
Sunscreen?
Personally, I very rarely wear sunscreen, and only if I am going to be out for an extended period before I build up tolerance for the year. When I do, I only use homemade sunscreen bars or other natural options, such as a sandalwood tanning oil that I make myself. It uses a variety of plant oils that are naturally sun protective.
Isn’t this dangerous? Not in my opinion and even with a risk of skin cancer in my family I don’t worry at all about regular daily sun exposure without sunscreen… here’s why:
From my research and own experience, I’ve found that the foods I consume have a direct effect on how my skin reacts to the sun. Some foods (like grains and vegetable oils) easily lead to burning, while others (like FCLO and coconut oil) let me stay out for hours. Statistically, skin cancer rates continue to rise, despite the fact that we are (as a whole) spending less time in the sun and wearing more sunscreen. Diet can play a key role here, but it is also important to consider that most sunscreens contain a host of chemicals including a toxic form of vitamin A that has been linked to skin cancer.
Protect from the Inside Out
All that being said, I am comfortable getting plentiful sun exposure because I also take steps to protect my skin from the inside out. I eat an anti-inflammatory, high antioxidant, and beneficial fat diet and take certain supplements that increase my sun tolerance and help my body benefit from sun exposure. My basic routine included a grain free, sugar free, high vegetable and healthy fat diet and:
- Vitamin D3 (I take about 5,000 IU/day)- Emerging evidence shows that optimizing blood levels of Vitamin D can have a protective effect against sunburn and skin cancer
- Vitamin C (I take about 2,000 mg/day)- A potent anti-inflammatory, and it is good for the immune system too.
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted in a cup of herbal tea per day- the Medium Chain Fatty Acids and saturated fat are easily utilized by the body for new skin formation and are protective against burning
- Fermented Cod Liver Oil/High Vitamin Butter Oil Blend (also great for remineralizing teeth)-Probably the most important supplement for sun protection. I take double doses during the summer and the kids take it too. Since adding this and the coconut oil daily, none of us have burned. It’s also great for digestive and oral health. (Amazon finally has the capsules back in stock)
- Astaxanthin– A highly potent antioxidant which research shows acts as an internal sunscreen. It’s also supposedly an anti-aging supplement. I don’t give this one to the kids though.
From the research I’ve seen, Vitamin D deficiency could be one of the most dangerous silent epidemics of our time, yet much of the anti-sun propaganda continues. Personally, I’m off to sunbathe and boost my vitamin D levels….
Note: I am not a doctor and don’t play one on the internet. This information is not a substitute for medical advice and does not in any way replace medical care.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Shani Muhammad, MD, board certified in family medicine and has been practicing for over ten years. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor or work with a doctor at SteadyMD.
What is your take on it all? Share below!
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I never used sunscreen and never really worried. I worked out daily, and ive always been a complete healthnut. Two years ago, i was diagnosed with Melanoma. It couldve been prevented, but i was ignorant and loved the sun. Tan as well a burn damages the skin… my advice never take chances. I take vitamin D supplements and protect my children. I can’t go back and protect my skin, but I plan to educate as much as I can. I hope i can save at least one life. I have terminal cancer because I thought like you that it wouldn’t happen to me. Please don’t so sad this false advice. There are too many scientific studies that confirm the extreme danger of the sun. Do you really want to be responsible for possible melanoma deaths because of an opinion that is completely been disproved. Please talk to the experts. I live her in Arizona too!
Tanning beds have more carsingens then smoking!!! Tanning beds cause melanoma. Which kills more ppl then any cancer out there today. I’m appalled at this article!!! I’m dying of melanoma guess how I got it?! Tanning beds!!!!
The Sun is healthy and is our friend. I feel so sad how the Sun, and the natural elements in general, have been demonized in our world. It is far more likely that the various products we are using and ingesting, that contain chemicals and toxins, have systematically weakened our bodies and skin over time…..thus making us weaker and less efficient at handling the natural world…of which we are part. We have EVOLVED in response to the sun and the sun’s light. If the sun were to die out tomorrow, so would we. Instantly.
The TRUTH is, we are actually genetically wired to handle exposure to the sun. Not in a lay-out-all-day-and-bake-in-it manner, but in a manner that allows us to move and function and be active without issues or concerns, alternating light exposure and seeking shade accordingly.
A genetic modifying program that exists in our make-up is triggered when we are exposed to sunlight. The program both protects us and simultaneously utilizes the healing power in the light. It is not that “vitamin D” is given to us by the sun….rather it is that the light touching our skin and entering our body sets off a biochemical process that affects our hormonal and physiological internal processes. The production of Vitamin D being one of them.
The others process that are triggered? Still being explored by “science”.
Would it be any surprise to me that balanced sun light exposure actually fights sickness and disease and imbalance light exposure actually creates it? It would not. Imbalance means “too much” as well as “too little” and the research is now revealing the those completely blocking sunlight from touching their skin are fully suffering as well.
And here I pause, for I am ever mystified that the majority of humans cease to grasp the value of balance, consistency and moderation. Life is not an either/or. The Sun is not all bad or all good. It is an element that we need and have evolved in relationship to….and it is our relationship to it in every moment that determines our health and well-being and how it will effect us.
I encourage everyone to release this dated doom-and-gloom, fear-based living and live in the presence and the truth of love and natural light. Thank you for reading.
I love this comment and absolutely agree! And you are right, there is so much emerging research about both the light from the sun and the Vitamin D it generates being important for health and avoiding disease.
I’ve recently returned from a 2-week holiday in Greece (lucky me)! I usually wear SPF30 and get through 600ml of SPF30 plus 200ml aftersun in 2 weeks.
I read this article a few months ago and was very interested in the idea of sunbathing either with a natural sunscreen or none at all, for short periods. I started to sit outside when it was sunny (usually at lunchtime) for up to 30 mins with no sunscreen, exposing my legs and arms. A little colour starting to build up but more importantly I felt better for it and looked healthier.
For holiday I bought a mineral-based SPF15 but didn’t like the feel of it or the chalky look on my skin so bought a chemical sunscreen SPF15. I built up to 90 mins in the sun without sunscreen before cooling off and putting on SPF15. There were a couple of days when I didn’t wear any at all (weather had cooled and I was in and out of shade). I used less than 200ml in 2 weeks with approx 50ml aftersun (Aloe Vera based), didn’t burn once and it’s the most tanned I’ve been in years!
Have you seen this? It makes me so sad.
https://www.adweek.com/creativity/giant-shady-tower-tricks-beachgoers-avoiding-sun-offering-free-wifi-164840/
Hi Katie – I love your site so much. Thank you for all the great information and insight.
We decided to give it a go and try out Vitamin D supplementation instead of sunscreen this summer, and it’s going great. I have always burned, but this summer, I haven’t at all. We don’t spend a ton of time in the sun – maybe an hour each day. My 1 and a half year-old son has a tan now from being outside, but has never burned, even though he is very fair-skinned. We are still nursing, I think he is benefiting from my extra vitamin D, and I have also been putting CLO with extra vitamin D in his applesauce.
One question: I have always been told that having a tan is bad because any tan is sun damage to your skin. I understand that a tan is the skin’s way of protecting itself from the sun, but is it really always bad? I see all these moms slathering sunscreen on their very pale kids at the playground and putting them in giant hats, while my kid has a tan and a couple of freckles, and I worry a bit. Do you have any insight into this idea that any tan is bad?
Thanks so much again for your website.
I am yet to see any actual scientific evidence that a tan is bad. It is evidence of sun exposure, but not necessarily of damage. I’ve also seen skin darken naturally with a better diet even with no or minimal sun exposure, and of course some people have naturally tan/dark skin unrelated to sun exposure. I definitely agree that burning is harmful, but from my research, it seems that the “any tan is bad” comes from more of a marketing tactic to sell sunscreen than any actual sound advice… just my two cents though 🙂
That totally makes sense. I just don’t understand how our ancestors, who were exposed to the elements so much, could have survived if sun exposure was so terrible for us, you know? Thanks for your reply!
Because our ancestors usually died from other diseases or accidents before cancer gets the chance to kill them.
With a baby on the way (due, appropriately enough, on Labor Day) I have been very conscientious with my supplementation. I take about 5g FCL0/butter blend daily, plus, I was taking 8k IU D3 throughout the winter. As Spring and Summer are underway, I stopped the D3 supplementation and relied on sun exposure from my daily walks. Plus, I had added in freeze-dried liver pills. I did notice that a week where there was rainy weather, I had less energy. I took some D3 and my productivity went way up. So a question, should I add back in the D3 + the sun exposure and freeze dried liver+ FCLO?
question 2) I want my kids to have sun expsosure, but I am not sure what is safe for an infant. What do you recommend? Do you have some source literature?
Would it be cheaper to just take the Fermented Cod Liver Oil in an oil form? I’m also mostly vegan, so how can I get all the benefits from it without doing the Royal Butter Oil combo. I am of Scandinavian decent (very fair skinned) and have been trained to wear lots of sunscreen or stay out of the sun. Because I have such a passion for health and finding my healthiest balance in a natural form, I would really love to focus on what I can do to protect myself from the inside out. I know how important getting healthy amounts of sun are and how crucial it is to have the appropriate levels of vitamin d.
I thought a tan was your skin fixing damage by the sun. Is it best to limit your exposure to avoid a tan?
My baby (14mo) has a slight farmers/golfers tan, is he too little?
A tan is naturally produced when you are getting moderate amounts of sun as your body regulates how much Vitamin D you need. I let my kids (under a year even) out in the sun.
Are there any less expensive forms of FCLO? If I even thought of spending $62 + S&H on that vitamin my husband would divorce me.
Unfortunately, that is the only brand I’ve found that is actually fermented. you can get a discount if you buy in bulk, but that is more up front…