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Using sunscreen can cause vitamin D deficiency
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025

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Sunscreen creams and other topical sunscreens are very common during the summer months, with most people using them to prevent sunburn.
However, researchers are quick to warn of the dangers of regular use of such products - the fact is that constant application of sunscreen can lead to a deficiency of vitamin D in the body.
Research by scientists has also confirmed that sunscreen is not recommended for people with diabetes, celiac disease, or other conditions that may interfere with the absorption of nutrients from food. Professor Kim Pfotenauer published this information in the American Osteopathic Association Journal. According to statistics, cosmetics with ultraviolet filters cause vitamin deficiencies in more than a million people worldwide each year.
Vitamin D is very important for the body. Thanks to it, our bones are strong: calcium is absorbed well, getting directly to its destination - bone tissue. In addition, the vitamin takes part in the regulation of nervous processes and the immune response.
Vitamin D deficiency can only be detected by doctors in the laboratory: the serum concentration is less than 20 ng/ml. The deficiency is accompanied by bone demineralization processes, and the risk of fractures increases.
According to doctors, a person needs to receive an average of 700 IU of vitamin D every day for the normal functioning of the body. At the same time, we receive the main amount of vitamin from sunlight. A small amount of vitamin is also contained in meat products, mushrooms, eggs, fish and tofu cheese.
If you regularly use sunscreens, you can reduce the production of the vitamin by 99% - creams with SPF 15 or more provide particularly dense protection for the skin. Professor Pfotenauer and other scientists from the California School of Osteopathic Medicine at Touro University explain that the results of the study do not mean that you should not use sunscreens. On the contrary, you should use them to resist burns and post-burn cancerous cell degeneration. But at least twice a week you need to spend half an hour in the sun without sunscreen.
Experiments have shown that topical UV-filtering skin products are comparable in their ability to inhibit vitamin D production to diabetes, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and chronic renal failure.
Some experts object: after all, it is quite possible to additionally take vitamin supplements and food additives that contain vitamin D 3. However, scientists do not fully agree with this. Indeed, such additives exist in huge quantities. But they are not suitable for everyone, and the synthetic analogue is absorbed much worse than the natural vitamin.
The researchers' conclusion is simple: everything should be done in moderation, including the use of sunscreens.