Because of this new study, in ten years there will be more people with skin cancer. People will forget the 10 minutes a day part. They hear "spend more time in the sun without lotion." I'm going to go bet on this at longbets.org

You're right about the today is good tomorrow is bad... The one statement that will ring true not only today but for always... is "Everything in moderation", from sunshine to french fries... we would be happier and healthier.... but between Drs and the media wanting to sell books and papers... it's all or nothing... black or white.... what ever has happened to GRAY?

Great article. I enjoy your reports.

It all comes back to my personal motto - Everything in moderation.(well not everything but you know what I mean)

The study that said five to ten minutes of exposure to the hands and face is enough are out dated. New study suggest that it would take 10-15 minutes of full body exposure for a fair skinned person and more for a dark skinned person. For more information on this go to www.tanningtrends.com page 17 of the April issue.

Hello,
Thank you for this information - I know I need extra vitamin D for a variety of things, and it's great to know how much sun exposure I would need to get it. But I think you have a typo here, with "C" instead of "D":

No one is saying people should get sunburned or even tan. But you can get 1,000 units of vitamin C by spending 10 minutes in the sun in the middle of the day with your arms and face exposed.

Hello,
My Doctor also told me I didn't have enough vitamin D or soy in my diet because I was getting enough sleep. Since I started taking a suppliment of vitamin D I think it has helped. One can only hope.

I'm glad scientist's are agreeing with my approval of being in the sun!

Maybe the truth is that the sun is no real threat to skin at all, but rather it's the interaction of the sun with the chemicals we so commonly use on our skin(skin creams, suntan lotions, make ups, etc)!It's something to consider since many of the lower equatorial lands do not have the same high incidence of skin cancers...

I am so sick of dermatologists getting the sunscreen issue wrong. I own a clinical skincare center and have researched enough about this to get very irritated when they contradict basic facts about sunscreen. First of all there is no such thing as a total sunblock. UVA/UVB rays get through even with spf 45. Data shows that you can get the recommended amount of Vitamin D through the top of your head and palms of your hands. To say that you dont get incedental exposure from your car or walking to and from work is incorrect. You accumulate more then the recommended 10 minutes from your daily routine and unless you goto a specialist and have your windows have been UV treated.
So just like contradicting how much water we should drink and confusing everyone (wasnt 8 glasses a day simple?)why not keep it simple and say , wear your sunscreen everday since UVA rays are year round'. Very simple.

Most all of these studies showing correlations between low Vitamin D (25D) levels and any numbers of illnesses are flawed. They are flawed because they do not measure the ACTIVE form (1,25D). Indeed it is often the case with many chronic illnesses that the disease uses UP 25D at an accelerated rate in the production of excess amounts of 1,25D (which can result in all sorts of hormonal changes). Supplementation with 25D will only exacerbate the problems for these people in the long run (although high levels have a palliative effect in the short run). Normal healthy people get plenty of Vit D in food and sunshine and the only possible reason why it might appear that they are getting insufficient amounts is due to the stated minimum levels being set too high (and as mentioned the mins are being boosted even more!).

Not to mention that Vitamin D also plays a part in positive mental health. I used to live in Seattle and suffered severe seasonal depression, and then moved to Southern California and it practically disappeared.

Thank you for addressing this issue. I learned a lot about cholecalciferol while researching for article I published on the AAP's 2003 recommendations to supplement babies with Vit D based on increased incidence of rickets in certain populations in the U.S. I would love to see the media acknowledge the correlation of breastfeeding to improved fetal stores of Vit D, which has been shown to supplant the need to supplement, as well as the maternal benefits of breastfeeding in reducing the incidence of breast cancer. (Wow, just think of what a difference *both* breastfeeding and adequate sun exposure could make in the health of babies and their mothers! Yet, both are at significant lows in this country--no wonder so many types of cancer are on the rise.) I do hope that the AAP takes notice of these studies and modifies the supplementation rule in favor of a sun exposure rule, based on new research on safe levels of UVA/UVB absorbtion (about 30 min/week for babies). I would be happy to provide references to my source material if you are interested. In the meantime, keep spreading the news about Vit D!

I am shocked at the irresponsible journalism I saw on NBC Nightly News this evening. The issue with Vitamin D is only starting to be worked out scientifically and does not necessitate a news report telling patients to get more sun. While Vitamin D levels can be linked to certain types of cancer, there is no reason to assume that the SUN has to be the source of Vitamin D, given the KNOWN risks of skin cancer with sun exposure. By the math you used in the report, taking 2 x 400 iu of Vit D supplements with your 200 from normal food intake would yield enough Vitamin D (1000 iu) without sun exposure.

A more responsible journalistic approach would have been to report a LINK (not a causal relationship) between Vitamin D and cancers and urge people to continue to do what the Dermatologists have been TRYING to get them to do for years - avoid excessive sun. Please, try not to confuse patients until more of the science is known!

Also - Your assessment of needing "10 minutes in the sun during midday hours" fails to take into account, of all things, the skin color of the individual and the latitude. These are highly dependent variables, among others. Essentially, this makes the recommendation worthless and even possible malpractice on your part - you have no idea what photosensitizing medication these patients might be taking, co-morbidities, etc. Try telling the patient with xeroderma pigmentosum that he needs 10 minutes of sun per day!

I did NOT hear you say "please ask your dermatologist how much sun you should be getting." That would have been a nice disclaimer at the VERY LEAST!

Thank you, NBC NEWS, for setting back the work of Dermatologists in a single 5 minute report.

Sincerely,
Jay Zimmerman, MD
Chief Resident
UCLA Dermatology

I greatly appreciate your between-the-lines message that moderation is the key regarding exposure to direct sunlight. I worry when I see individuals cookinmg themselves on beaches and elsewhere. In at least a few cases, I believe that some of them do so because they are adversely affected emotionally by lack of exposure to sunlight.

This is a perfect example of going "too far". The answer, in most if not all situations is MODERATION is the key. You can apply this to almost every aspect of life and find it helpful. This hardly surprises me.

Scary - I have just been diagnosed as having "no measurable levels" of Vitamin D in my system, am only 39 and have been breaking bones like crazy, had a cancer episode too! Seems that these studies are on the right course. Have just started taking 50,000 units of Vitamin D per week just to get levels up to normal. Doctor told me to not wear makeup or lotions with sunscreen and to go out every day in the sun!

I was very disappointed when I saw this segment air. This is not good information.

Please take a look at Dr Trevor Marshall's research on his site about "Vitamin D" and the reason so many people are being misdiagnosed with a deficiency when in fact they suffer from a dysregulation.

You can go to www.marshallprotocol.com for updated and current research and info on Vitamin D.

who is not getting ten minutes of sun a day? if you arnt you need to get out more.

The sun is not the only place you can receive UVA and UVB from. Tanning beds do the same thing, but in a more regulated atmosphere. Tanning salons provide guidance so that undividuals do not burn. Certified salon operators instruct their customers in tanning moderation and in the proper use of eye protection, lotions and moisturizers.

It is a widely held opinion that the Dermotologists have held a negative opinion of sun exposure because they have not figured out how to make money from it and they are heavily invested in the "sunless product" industry.