Moderate Amount of Sunlight Vital for Getting Vitamin D

Most Koreans are too busy working or studying to go out and get a healthy amount of sunshine. To make matters worse, when people do venture out, most of them hide from the sun's rays behind sunscreen or parasols.

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Exposure to sunlight causes human skin to produce vitamin D, which helps prevent osteoporosis, depression and cardiovascular diseases.

According to a national health and nutrition survey conducted in 2010, 93 percent of Koreans had vitamin D deficiency.

"As most Koreans prefer fair skin, they try to avoid exposure to the sun. And as adults tend not to eat many dairy products, vitamin D deficiency is common", said Kim Kyung-min, a professor at Seoul National University Hospital in Bundang.

Experts say spring is just the right time to start going out and soaking up some vitamin D-producing sunlight.

Korea is located 35 to 38 degrees north of the equator, making it possible to obtain vitamin D from sunlight from April to November. Exposing the skin for 10 to 20 minutes between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. three times a week, wearing shorts and short sleeves, produces about 800 to 1500 IU of vitamin D in the body.

Daily use of sunscreen is not recommended. A sunscreen with a protection factor of over 15 blocks up to 98 percent of UV rays, obstructing vitamin D production.

Moderation is advised, however. "Exposing the skin to sunlight too often or for too long during summer can cause sunburn and other skin disorders", said Park Min-sun, a professor at Seoul National University Hospital. "Elderly people, in particular, need to be careful as they are at risk of fainting or skin cancer if they get too much sunlight".