“The old vitamin D spectrum will work if we subtract 5 from each wavelength, so the whole spectrum is shifted 5 nm to the left,” Professor Antony Young of Experimental Photobiology at KCL, and lead author of the study, told Medical News Today. However, adjusting vitamin D calculations could fix this. They found that the current guidelines did not predict vitamin D production from UVR exposure accurately.

They compared levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 - the gold standard for assessing vitamin D - in healthy volunteers following UVR exposure with suggested levels from current guidelines. In a recent study, researchers from King’s College London (KCL) in the United Kingdom conducted a study to test the current vitamin D guidelines. Getting sunlight guidelines up-to-date is important to ensure people get enough vitamin D while not putting themselves at risk of sunburn and skin cancer. However, some researchers suspect these guidelines may need revising, as pre-vitamin D undergoes chemical changes before becoming vitamin D that our bodies can use. UVA and UVB both cause tanning, skin aging, and the development of skin cancer, but only UVB leads to vitamin D production.Ĭurrent guidelines on sunlight exposure for vitamin D derive from 1982 research examining pre-vitamin D formation in the skin following UVR exposure. Sunlight contains two types of UVR: ultraviolet A (UVA), which makes up around 95% of the sun’s rays, and ultraviolet B (UVB), which comprises around 5% of the sun’s rays. However, UVR from sunlight can also cause sunburn and skin cancer. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from sunlight is a major source of vitamin D, accounting for around 80% of a person’s recommended daily allowance (RDA). It improves bone health and reduces the risk of chronic diseases, including: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a vital role in human health. Further calculations and research are necessary before health experts can create new sunlight guidelines.

Their results suggest that current sunlight guidelines may need revising.

Researchers used blood samples from 75 individuals to assess vitamin D levels regarding current sunlight guidelines, which scientists originally based on skin samples.Share on Pinterest New research suggests sunlight exposure guidelines may need revising.

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