Supplementation is the safest way to get Vitamin D

A study published just last month in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology addresses the question: "isn't sun exposure (cutaneous photosynthesis) sufficient for satisfying my needs for Vitamin D?"

"We sought to provide estimates of the equivalency of vitamin D production from natural sun exposure versus oral supplementation."

The authors went about determining the sun exposure times needed to achieve serum vitamin D3 concentrations equivalent to 400 or 1000 IU vitamin D for people with different skin types living in Miami, FL, and Boston, MA, during the months of January, April, July, and October. What did they conclude from their data?

"Although it may be tempting to recommend intentional sun exposure based on our findings, it is difficult, if not impossible to titrate [calibrate the dose of] one's exposure. There are well-known detrimental side effects of ultraviolet irradiation. Therefore, oral supplementation remains the safest way for increasing vitamin D status."