The Sunlight Campaign
Sunlight is one of the best natural sources of vitamin D, which helps build healthy bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Our consumer surveys have shown that awareness of the importance of vitamin D is low and many people do not know how to get enough vitamin D to support healthy bones.
Few people realise that the best way of getting vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight.
Professor Roger Francis, Chair of the National Osteoporosis Society’s Medical Board, says the findings demonstrate how successful public health messages about safe sun exposure have been:
“High profile skin cancer campaigns have made people far more aware of the dangers of over exposure to the sun. However an unanticipated side affect may be that people now feel that they shouldn’t spend any time in the sun at all. Potentially, this could result in a lack of vitamin D and increased risk of osteoporosis.
“Up to 15 % of people in the UK are estimated to have low levels of vitamin D, while 80% have levels which are considered unhealthy.
“Lying on the beach for two weeks will not top up levels for the rest of the year and may risk skin cancer. Staying in the sun for too long means that the body breaks down surplus vitamin D shortly after it’s produced," says Professor Francis.
If you are fair-skinned, have lots of moles and freckles or have a family history of skin cancer, you should be particularly careful in the sun to reduce your risk of skin cancer, and avoid the strong sunshine in the middle of the day.
Our annual Sunlight Campaign promotes the following messages:
- Exposure to sunlight every day between May and September will increase Vitamin D and help to keep bones healthy.
- Sunlight is the best natural source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps our bodies to process calcium effectively and therefore is essential for healthy bones.
- You should try to get 10 minutes of sun exposure to your bare skin, once or twice a day (depending on skin type), without sunscreen and taking care not to burn.
- Always take care not to burn, especially during the strong sunshine in the middle of the day. Babies and children have very sensitive skin and need careful protection.
- Even on cloudy days, your body can still produce Vitamin D from sunlight but it can take a little longer.
- Get outside between May and September so that your body can produce enough Vitamin D to help see you through the winter months.
- Make sure that you are actually outside. Your body cannot produce Vitamin D even if you are sitting by a window or in a conservatory on a sunny day. You must be outside.