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| |  Sun Protection Doesn’t Cause Vitamin D Deficiency SCHAUMBURG, IL -- December 2, 1997 -- Concerns that daily protection from the sun can lead to vitamin D deficiency appear to be unwarranted, according to a study reported in this month’s issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). Vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin because the human body manufactures it from exposure to sunlight. It also is obtained from certain foods, including milk, and is essential for bone integrity and absorption of calcium. Some people have expressed concern that those who practice daily sun protection by use of sunscreens and sun-protective clothing may be putting themselves at risk for vitamin D deficiency. To test the validity of this concern, dermatologists with the federal government's National Institutes of Health in Washington, MD., studied vitamin D intake and levels in the blood in eight individuals expected to be at high risk for vitamin D deficiency. The four men and four women took extreme measures to avoid the sun because they had xeroderma pigmentosum, an inherited disease that causes severe sun sensitivity and carries a highly increased risk for skin cancer. All eight patients daily minimized their sun exposure to five minutes or less, applied sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 and wore clothing that protected them from the sun. Study participants did not receive vitamin D or calcium supplements. Six of them maintained a diet that contained at least the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D for adults, 200 IU. Mean serum vitamin D levels were normal, with almost all patients' values in the low normal to mid-normal range. "This study shows that nearly non-sun-exposed, active, ambulatory persons are capable of maintaining a normal vitamin D level through diet alone," said Kenneth Kraemer, M.D., a research dermatologist at the National Institutes of Health and one of the study authors. "Concerns about vitamin D deficiency should not preclude routine sunscreen use in normal, active individuals as long as they maintain an adequate diet."
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