5 facts you may not know about vitamin DPublished: 26 July 2019 The countries with the highest population of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) are located in the northern hemisphere, where sunlight levels can be very low in winter, for example, Scotland. This is often associated with the body not producing enough vitamin D. So, today’s blog is going to look into some facts that you might not have known about ‘the sunshine vitamin’… 1. Sunscreen can reduce vitamin D intake Although it is important to protect your skin in the sun, sunscreen can block out the suns ultra-violet (UVB) rays, which can lower your potential intake of vitamin D. This means that it may take you longer to reach your daily intake. It’s not known exactly how much time is needed in the sun to make enough vitamin D to meet the body’s requirements. This is because there are a number of factors that can affect how vitamin D is made, such as your skin colour or how much skin you have exposed. But according to the NHS website you should be careful not to burn in the sun and take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before your skin starts to turn red or burn. 2. We don’t get enough of it It has been widely reported that approximately 1 billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient or insufficient, that’s around 15% of the world’s population. However, when we compare this to reports of UK vitamin D levels, it’s much higher here. According to this data, 74% of UK adults over 25 have lower levels than they should. That’s quite a difference! So next time the sun is shining, make sure you’re heading outside for some vitamin D! 3. It helps build strong bones Vitamin D is vital for our calcium intake, which of course is paramount for strong bones. Lack of vitamin D can lead to rickets in children or osteoporosis in adults, which is essentially the weakening of bones. 4. Intake is affected by skin tone Strangely, pale skin tones absorb more vitamin D from less sunlight than other skin tones. The natural pigment melanin in darker skin tones means it requires more exposure to the sun in order to get the right intake. It has been said that those with darker skin tones need up to 3-6 times more exposure than those with pale skin. 5. You don’t have to get it from the sun It’s widely believed that you can only get vitamin D from the sun, but you can get it in your diet as well. For Inuit’s who practically live with next to no sunlight, they eat food such as oily fish which is very rich in the sunshine vitamin. So you don’t necessarily need the sun to get your levels up! Want more information about Vitamin D? Order a free copy of our Vitamin D Choices booklet today using our quick online order form. Other Stories You May Be Interested In... Blog Muscles symptoms of MS View article Blog Driving with multiple sclerosis View article Blog Multiple sclerosis and sugar View article