Several factors can prevent adequate production.
Summer is often synonymous with rediscovered vitality and overflowing energy. This is the period of the year when you generally feel the most fit, when you benefit from outdoor activities and where morale is in good fixed. The abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, sip of sun, normally allows us to fill up on all the essential vitamins that our body needs. However, a paradox remains: even under a generous sun, it is quite possible to lack a crucial vitamin that our organism is supposed to produce thanks to exposure to light rays.
The deficiencies are frequent in July and August. Several factors can prevent adequate production, even under a bright summer sun, says Jonathan Orchard, co-founder and scientific director of the Neutrient brand. Skin pigmentation, geographic position, day of day, the use of solar creams or covering clothes, as well as advanced age and certain health conditions (obesity, Crohn’s disease …), significantly reduce our ability to synthesize it naturally.
Moreover, “Urban life, indoor work or limited time spent outside can drastically reduce exposure to the sun. Even in summer, many spend most of their indoor day, missing UVB rays. A 2020 study in Nutrients estimated that up to 50 % of the world’s population could have insufficient levels of vitamin D – vitamin in question – even in sunny climates, because of the modern lifestyle“, Continues the expert. In France, up to 8 out of 10 people would be defined in vitamin D according to the national study nutrition of public health France.
To maintain an optimal level of vitamin D in summer, it is necessary to combine secure solar exposure, food intake and supplementation is recommended. Our expert recommends aiming at 10 to 30 minutes of sun exposure in the middle of the day without protection, depending on your skin type, while integrating foods rich in vitamin D such as fatty fish. Daily supplementation of 1,000 to 2,000 IUs of vitamin D3 is often recommended, to be taken with a fatty meal and ideally associated with vitamin K2 (a medical opinion is essential). For personalized management, monitoring your blood levels is essential, especially if you have risk factors.
Thanks to Jonathan Orchard, co-founder and scientific director of the Neutrient brand, specialist in food supplements.
