For years, we’ve all been warned: Stay out of the sun, and if you go outdoors, make sure you wear sunscreen to ward off skin cancer.
If a new study out of the University of Colorado and Harvard is to be believed, we’ve apparently taken the advice seriously — so much so that sunscreen use is being blamed for a drop in blood levels of vitamin D.
You just can’t win.
Vitamin D is produced in the body by sun exposure, and you can also get it from some foods that have it naturally or are enriched with it. The vitamin is vital for immune system health and bone density.
The CU-Harvard study found that upwards of 70 percent of people in the U.S. had less than 30 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood, the recommended level. A prior study that looked at levels between 1988 and 1994 found deficiencies in 45 percent of people.
Researchers blamed sunscreen, at least in part, for the growing deficiency.
The findings would seem to pose a dilemma. Either protect your skin and risk your bones, or vice versa. What’s a health-conscious person to do?
As is the case with many studies that make headlines, you have to take the time to read to the end.
Some researchers are skeptical that the dip was as widespread as reported. They say most of the difference is due to changes in the test used to measure blood levels of vitamin D.
While researchers trade barbs, the safe answer might be as simple as taking a vitamin D supplement — that is, until the next study comes out espousing the dangers of that.
