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| Wednesday, 05 April 2006 09:01 | | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
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An Australian National University study claims that fair-skinned people need little more than four minutes in the summer sunshine to produce enough vitamin D to keep bones healthy.
The study found that dark-skinned people need up to six times as much sunlight to produce the same levels of vitamin D as those with fair skin.
The Australian National University research provides guidance about acceptable levels of sun exposure in the face of mixed messages about the affect of the sun's rays.
Limiting sun exposure is crucial in preventing skin cancer, but a lack of sunlight can lead to vitamin D deficiency which can cause rickets in children, osteoporosis in adults, and also contribute to cancer, diabetes and hypertension.
Prof Graham Bentham, from the University of East Anglia, said there was not enough UVB radiation in Britain to produce vitamin D in the winter months.
But from mid-March to the end of September people can stock up on it, he said. "The sunlight that causes skin cancer is pretty near the same bit that produces vitamin D. "We must be cautious and there is the option of getting vitamin D from sources other than the sun”.
Cancer Research UK's Sun Smart campaign manager Genevieve Frisby said: "You don't need to sunbathe for hours to get enough vitamin D.
"It's impossible to give an exact number of minutes because that depends on different skin types, geography and the UV index.
"But you should certainly never allow yourself to go red in the sun”.
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