Vitamins and mineralsVitamin D—Is sunlight enough in the Polish climate?
- Jan Jaśkowski — Jaka dawka witaminy D3 jest bezpieczna? — Zdrowe Porady
- Jerzy Jaśkowski — Medycyna sądownie wprowadzana - osteoporoza i zawał
- Jerzy Jaśkowski — Słoneczny dar natury - witamina D3
- Jerzy Jaśkowski — Przechytrzyć cukrzycę. Część 2
- Orthomolecular Medicine News Service — Vitamin D Can Prevent and Treat Diabetes
- Orthomolecular Medicine News Service — 11th Annual Sunshine Month (2026): Educating About Sunshine for Health
- Orthomolecular Medicine News Service — Vitamin D is Now the Most Popular Vitamin
Jerzy Jaśkowski and Jan Jaśkowski point out that sunlight alone does not provide vitamin D all year round in Polish conditions.
- Jan Jaśkowski writes that effective synthesis requires summer midday sun and exposing at least half of the skin for 20 minutes.
- Jan Jaśkowski recommends supplementation all year round because many people are at work or school during these hours.
- Jerzy Jaśkowski encourages people to enjoy the sun, but acknowledges that it is difficult to sunbathe effectively in Poland at the right hours.
What the authors write
Jan Jaśkowski
Jan Jaśkowski points out that achieving an adequate level requires summer midday sun, at least 20 minutes of exposure, and exposing half of the skin.
„For the body to reach an optimal blood concentration of 60–80 ng/ml of vitamin D3 on its own through exposure to sunlight, we must meet the following conditions:
expose at least 50% of the skin’s surface to the sun,
for at least 20 minutes,
between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.,
on a sunny summer day.”Aby organizm mógł samodzielnie osiągnąć optymalne stężenie 60–80 ng/ml witaminy D3 we krwi za pomocą ekspozycji na słońce, musimy spełnić następujące warunki:
wystawiamy na słońce co najmniej 50% powierzchni skóry,
przez minimum 20 minut,
w godzinach 11:00–13:00,
w letni, słoneczny dzień.
Jan Jaśkowski
Jan Jaśkowski recommends vitamin D3 supplementation all year round because many people are not in the sun at the right hours.
„Tanning only your face and arms is not enough. In addition, UVB radiation is strong enough to synthesize vitamin D only during these hours.
Given that most of us are at work or school during these hours, vitamin D3 supplementation should continue throughout the year.”Samo opalanie twarzy i ramion nie wystarczy. Dodatkowo tylko w tych godzinach promieniowanie UVB jest wystarczające do syntezy witaminy D.
Biorąc pod uwagę, że większość z nas w tych godzinach przebywa w pracy czy szkole, suplementacja witaminy D3 powinna być prowadzona przez cały rok.
Jerzy Jaśkowski
Jerzy Jaśkowski writes that effective sunbathing is difficult in Polish conditions because most people spend the relevant hours indoors.
„In our conditions, we cannot really sunbathe effectively. At our latitude, we would have to sunbathe between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., when almost everyone is indoors—at school or at work. What is more, to produce vitamin D, you have to expose your chest and back.”W naszych warunkach nie mamy możliwości prawdziwego, skutecznego opalania. W naszej szerokości geografi cznej należałoby się opalać między godziną 11:00 a 13:00, a wtedy niemal wszyscy przebywamy pod dachem – albo w szkole, albo w pracy. Co więcej, aby wytworzyć witaminę D, trzeba odsłonić klatkę piersiową i plecy.
Jerzy Jaśkowski
Jerzy Jaśkowski encourages sunbathing and claims that, in Polish conditions, the body needs about 5,000 units of vitamin D3 a day.
„Our body needs about 5,000 units of vitamin D3 a day (in Polish conditions). Pharmaceutical companies have set their own vitamin D level at 30 ng. Let us remember that all serious studies state that the proper level of vitamin D3 is at least 70 ng, and ideally about.”Nasz organizm potrzebuje około 5000 jednostek witaminy D3 dziennie (w warunkach polskich). Koncerny farmaceutyczne ustaliły własny poziom witaminy D w ilości 30 ng. Pamiętajmy, że wszelkie poważne prace podają, że prawidłowy poziom witaminy D3 wynosi najmniej 70 ng, a najlepiej ok.
Jerzy Jaśkowski
Jerzy Jaśkowski recommends spending time outdoors often between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to provide the body with vitamin D from sunlight.
„Let us remember to spend as much time outdoors as possible between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to get natural vitamin D from sunlight. Today, the desire for profit and the dumbing down of society have led people to avoid sunbathing, especially older people and children.”Pamiętajmy, aby w godzinach pomiędzy 11-13.00 przebywać jak najczęściej na zewnątrz, aby dostarczyć z promieniowania słonecznego naturalną witaminę D. Dziś, chęć zysku i ogłupianie społeczeństwa doprowadziło do unikania opalania, szczególnie przez osoby starsze oraz dzieci.
Jerzy Jaśkowski
Jerzy Jaśkowski writes that, because Poland lacks sunshine, he recommends vitamin D3 supplementation for women during pregnancy and lactation.
„Unfortunately, Poland lacks Carolingian sunshine, which is why women’s daily requirement for vitamin D3 is about 10,000 IU throughout pregnancy and lactation.
Epidemiological studies show that rates of illness and death from cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, and heart failure are higher in winter than in summer.”Niestety w Polsce brakuje słońca karolińskiego, dlatego dzienne zapotrzebowanie na witaminę D3 wynosi ok. 10 000 UI u kobiet przez cały okres ciąży i laktacji.
Badania epidemiologiczne wskazują, że wskaźniki zarówno zachorowań, jak i zgonów na choroby układu krążenia, zawały, niewydolności serca są wyższe w okresie zimowym aniżeli w letnim.
Perspectives and opinion materials
The content below presents the authors’ opinions, interpretations and hypotheses. It is not treated as equal to scientific studies and systematic reviews.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„Direct midday summer sunlight on the skin can make adequate vitamin D with enough skin exposure. However sunlight does not cause vitamin D toxicity because at high vitamin D levels the body stops making it. Exposure to sunlight when the sun is less than 45 degrees above the horizon, or to sunlight through a glass window, though it can cause tanning, does not produce vitamin D (UVB light is required). Most of us don't get enough vitamin D from our limited exposure to sunlight, especially in the winter.”Direct mid-day summer sunlight on the skin can make adequate vitamin D with enough skin exposure. However sunlight does not cause vitamin D toxicity because at high vitamin D levels the body stops making it. Exposure to sunlight when the sun is less than 45 degrees above the horizon, or to sunlight through a glass window, though it can cause tanning, does not produce vitamin D (UVB light is required). Most of us don't get enough vitamin D from our limited exposure to sunlight, especially in the winter.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„In this sense, sunlight represents a foundational environmental input - one that helps maintain systemic balance across multiple physiological domains. Adequate, sensible sunlight exposure - individualized and balanced to avoid harm - is part of this foundational layer. The following announcement from GrassrootsHealth marks the launch of the 11th Annual Sunshine Month, an initiative dedicated to advancing a more complete and evidence-informed understanding of sunlight and health. We present it here in full to support continued scientific dialogue and public education.”In this sense, sunlight represents a foundational environmental input - one that helps maintain systemic balance across multiple physiological domains. Adequate, sensible sunlight exposure - individualized and balanced to avoid harm - is part of this foundational layer. The following announcement from GrassrootsHealth marks the launch of the 11th Annual Sunshine Month, an initiative dedicated to advancing a more complete and evidence-informed understanding of sunlight and health. We present it here in full to support continued scientific dialogue and public education.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„Vitamin D is made by exposure to sunlight to a significant degree only when the sun is 45 degrees or more above the horizon. At the latitudes of North America and Europe, this is summer midday sunlight between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. In the early morning or late afternoon, light-skinned individuals may tan but they hardly get any vitamin D from sunlight.”Vitamin D is made by exposure to sunlight to a significant degree only when the sun is 45 degrees or more above the horizon. At the latitudes of North America and Europe, this is summer midday sunlight between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. In the early morning or late afternoon, light-skinned individuals may tan but they hardly get any vitamin D from sunlight.
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