What To Know If You Are Getting Enough UVB Radiation to Make Vitamin D?

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Comment by ednshell on January 29, 2013 at 5:32am

march 18th from 11:40 to 12:40 I will be outside in St. Louis, MO! :D

Comment by Nate on January 28, 2013 at 3:26am

Kate, I think there was a problem with the table input calculations. Supposedly for year around Vitamin D production from the sun, the location needs to be less than 35 degrees Latitude North or South of the Equator according to the Vitamin D Council.

I though I was fine in the southern US at about 34 degrees Latitude. However, according to Mercola the sun altitude needs to be 50 degrees or higher above the horizon. Based on Mercola's estimates, there is no Vitamin D production where I'm living from late October to early March, and I'm way closer to the Equator than the UK.

When I plug in London, England to the chart, the sun altitude maxes at 20.2 degrees around noon.

The geographic info for London is:

Coordinates = West 0 deg 6 min, North 51 deg 31 min
Time Zone = 0 hours west of Greenwich

Comment by kate on January 28, 2013 at 2:28am

Thank you!  

according to this, there is sufficient altitude for vit D production 1-6pm currently in UK.

As its midwinter I doubt I'd expose more than face and forearms, but it's a great encouragement to get outdoors.

Comment by Cassie Renee on January 27, 2013 at 3:43pm

way cool!

Comment by Nate on January 27, 2013 at 8:34am

This is a very useful link. According to Dr. Mercola, on the chart the altitude needs to be above 50 degrees to make Vitamin D from sunlight.

After seeing this last year it's been the first winter where I have not tried to "rough it" sunbathing outdoors when it's freezing : )

Comment by banana - boy on January 27, 2013 at 3:48am

thanks