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Comment by 616c | Hacker News Reader

To further this point, ironically in the Middle East (like the Persian Gulf specifically) the sun is so strong even locals do not spend so much time outside with direct contact with sunlight. Everyone, and I mean everyone here, is told by medical professionals Vitamin D deficiency is so widespread causes weird problems. We have to give our child Vitamin D supplements daily, and doctors tell me we could give him horse-pill like supplement regiments; the only place in the world where this is so strongly encouraged.

So, the rest of you, just go outside.

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It's not that simple. Some of us (I'm a redhead) sunburn so easily, getting enough sunlight to avoid vitamin D deficiency means either near-constant sunscreen application or else a long-term risk of skin cancer.

My doctor emphatically told me to take supplements rather than to spend more time in the sun.

All sources I've read seemed to indicate that white people only need a few minutes a day of direct sun exposure to the entire body to get sufficient vitamin D. How long does it take you to burn?

I'm under the impression that depending on your skin type you can burn within a few minutes.

I was under the impression that you can build up your tolerance to the sun by slowly increasing your exposure to it each day. Does this not apply for certain skin types?

For some skin types the effect is so small that you can just not take it into account. Especially people with red hair are known to have these skin types (hair and skin color are both dependent on malanin)

I'm an Irish redhead who lived in Australia for a decade, doing lots of outdoor sports.

To solve your problem: Put sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat on. Go outside.

Slip on sunglasses, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat!

And take your canvas bags!

My understanding is that taking supplements isn't enough; you still need to go out in the sunlight for the vitamin D to activate.

Oh yes, for us Canadians it's really as simple as "just go[ing] outside".

I know of three different people (late 20s to early 30s) who had pains in their joints and were all diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. All three live in Southern Arizona where most people prefer not to stay out too long in the sun.

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