Sunscreen Use May Lead to Vitamin D Deficiency

We are coming into the sunniest part of the year here in the US, and most everyone is out purchasing sunscreen for upcoming  summer outings.  This abstract from DoctorsLounge.com is interesting reading, the study detailed suggests that sunscreen use may lead to Vitamin D deficiency.  If you do not get much sun, or you use sunscreen because of skin cancer concerns, it is doubly important that you get your Vitamin D levels checked regularly.  I take 5000 IUs of Vitamin D daily, and I still struggle to get my levels up to the optimal level of 70-100 ng/ml.  I usually get there in the summer, when I am out in the condo pool about 4-5 days a week, but in the winter time, even though I am out and about every day and NC gets a fair amount of sunshine year round------I am happy if my level stays above 60.  As I always caution, talk to your doctor about Vitamin D optimization, and if you are taking Vitamin D, be sure you are using a pharmaceutical grade product (I use Ortho Molecular Vitamin D, it comes in 5000 IU capsules.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!