![]() Of course, UVB rays don’t just stimulate the production of Vitamin D UVB rays also damage your skin. And the higher the sun is above 50 degrees, the higher the rate of your Vitamin D production. It is only when the sun is 50 degrees or higher that the amount of Vitamin D produced starts to become significant. In actuality, you may start to produce a tiny amount of Vitamin D when the sun is slightly lower in the sky, but this amount seems to be inconsequential. ![]() Note: this angle depends on many factors and Vitamin D production is not all or nothing. And this is under ideal conditions: clear skies without cloud cover or pollution. ![]() If the shadow cast by your body is the same length, or longer, than your height you will not produce Vitamin D–even while your skin is exposed to direct sunlight. LEARN MORE.Ī good way to test if the sun is about 50 degrees above the horizon, or higher, is that your shadow should be slightly shorter than you are tall. There’s A Supplement Made With Ingredients That Protect Against The Effects Of Environmental Exposure WITHOUT Blocking Your Production Of Vitamin D. Ideally, the sun should be as close to overhead as possible the closer to overhead it is, the greater its potential for stimulating Vitamin D production (and the less time you have to be in the sun to produce a given amount of Vitamin D). In order for the sun to stimulate your Vitamin D production, the sun needs to be at a minimum of about 50 degrees, or greater, above the horizon (90% would be directly overhead). You can find some useful information about ultraviolet radiation here: How Sunlight And Ultraviolet Radiation Affect Us The Angle Of The Sun And Vitamin D Production But UVA rays cannot stimulate Vitamin D production. Similarly, UVA rays penetrate glass and will still damage your skin while you are behind a window-such as during your daily commute or while you sit next to a window in your office. So even in the absence of UVB rays–like during the winter for much of North America, and when it is overcast–UVA rays are still present at high levels and still aging your skin. And UVA rays damage skin just like UVB rays. UVA Rays And Sun DamageĬonversely, UVA rays pass relatively unfiltered through the atmosphere, so regardless of the angle of the sun or cloud cover, a high percentage of UVA rays are still reaching the surface of the earth. Sunscreen lotion also blocks the production of Vitamin D. UVB rays have to strike your exposed skin to make Vitamin D creation possible. If you are in your car or behind a glass window Vitamin D production isn’t possible. In some cities excessive pollution can be enough to severely limit the amount of UVB rays reaching the ground and, therefore, the potential to make Vitamin D.Īs a side note, UVB rays also don’t penetrate glass (or clothing). Similarly, UVB rays are also blocked by ozone and pollution. In addition to the atmosphere, clouds also block UVB rays, so if it is cloudy or overcast you probably aren’t going to produce any Vitamin D. If the sun is low enough, UVB rays are completely blocked by the atmosphere before they even reach you, and Vitamin D production is not possible. The more atmosphere UVB rays have to travel through, the more UVB rays are prevented from reaching the surface of the earth and the lower the sun is in the sky, the more atmosphere these UVB rays travel through. Yet UVB is reflected and blocked by the atmosphere. The reason is that UVB rays-and only UVB rays-catalyze the production of Vitamin D. But most significantly, the sun cannot stimulate your production of Vitamin D if the sun isn’t high enough in the sky. There are many reasons why you won’t make Vitamin D in the sun-even during the middle of the day. People commonly think that if the sun is up and they are outside in the sun, they are going to produce Vitamin D. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding sunlight and the production of Vitamin D.
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