D is for Dilemma: Should you skip the sunscreen to get your vitamin D?

Studies suggest that getting enough vitamin D may prevent a host of diseases, including cancer, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. 

Some experts advise that your skin can produce all the vitamin D your body needs with 15 minutes of sun exposure daily, but what about the risk of skin cancer?

For those who are at high risk of skin cancer or who just don’t want to take any chances, dietary vitamin D offers a solution, says Dr. Jo Ann Carson, a clinical nutritionist at
UT Southwestern Medical Center. 

Foods rich in vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon and tuna, shiitake mushrooms, egg yolks and vitamin D-fortified dairy products. 

Taking a vitamin D supplement every day can also help, but don’t take more than 1,000 IU per day, Dr. Carson said. In addition, be sure to take the form called cholecalciferol, or vitamin D3, because it results in the most active vitamin D in the body.

Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/nutrition to learn more about UT Southwestern’s clinical services in nutrition.

Media Contact: Kristen Holland Shear

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