How much daylight does an adult male need each day?

[lottie63]

I have a friend who thinks nothing of spending all weekend indoors. Goes to work during week so travel time outdoors Mon -Fri is probably 1.5 hrs a day - though most of this is on a bus. Am worried about his vit D levels. Anyone know how much he d need and what are the consequences of not getting enough on a daily basis?

[magso]

I have read that in winter in the UK the angle of the sun is such that we cannot produce vitamin D. Once the sun is high enough, the amount of time needed to top up our vit D reserves will depend on how much of the body is exposed (ie face and hands, or that plus arms etc), and needing to avoid sun damage (skin type). I have the Holick book (The vitamin D solution) and it has a complicated formula for working it out for each person. Little and often is best, sunscreen the rest of the time. Theres lots of stuff on line - search Vitamin D council as that should help.

[dopeysheep]

I read that too about lack of Vit D in the winter sun, but it said this only applied north of Birmingham! Dunno how true this is it could be a myth though.

[scaevola]

You need hands and face in sunlight for about 30 minutes a day, avoidi ngthe midday sun hours when there is high UV index.

The obvious consequence is ricketts (the disease that is caused by deficiency) but it's also implicated in a number of other conditions.

Standard OTC multivitamins contain the RDA, so if he takes them he's unlikely to be harming his health.