If you don't have an underlying condition it is way better to get the Vitamin D from the sun in 10-30min increments per day after which you are saturated for the day. Overdose is not possible via the sun (excluding sun burns of course).

> A single, optimal sun exposure session might produce the equivalent of 10,000 to 25,000 IU from a supplement, but it will not keep increasing with more time in the sun. That's your max per session.

From NHS Scotland:

"In Scotland, we only get enough of the right kind of sunlight for our bodies to make vitamin D between April and September, mostly between 11am and 3pm."

https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition...

Personally I found that taking Vitamin D supplements made quite a bit of difference - and I spend a fair amount of time outside (~3 hours each day).

In winter, even on a sunny day, only tiny fraction of your skin is exposed to sun. 10-30 min of sun when you are wearing tshirt and shorts is much different from 10-30 min of sun when you are wearing long sleeves, gloves, and a scarf.

Check local/national advice. In many places it is officially advised to take vitamin D supplements, especially in winter or if you have a darker skin tone.

Don’t guess; just get your vitamin D levels tested. It’s $20, you can just buy it à la carte.

For some people even in sunny areas, 5000 IU might be needed to get you in-range. This is highly individual.

I would argue to do both in the winter, since sunlight has other benefits than just Vitamin D synthesis, like mitochondrial health and better circadian signaling for better sleep quality.

> it is way better to get the Vitamin D from the sun in 10-30min increments per day

spoken like someone who has never lived in the UK

Your suggestion sounds a bit detached from reality of many people.

In many countries it is physically impossible to get enough vitamin D from the sun, even if you go out naked.

Also did you ever notice that the cheap apartments in many places are facing north and do not have a balcony, and of course do not have a private garden? Now you are reduced to going to a park which in the "cheap" areas is also not a good spot to chill for 30 minutes.

Agreed, but I live in Sweden so I take vitamin D supplements every winter.

During the spring, summer, fall months I barely need it since I'm outside so much with my dog.

This is nonsense advice for pretty much anybody that is shovelling snow right now.

Next time I get sunburn I'm calling it a vitamin D overdose

.. how do you calibrate this against a cloudy sky? It's pretty dark up here at 56 degrees north, and on top of that it's been overcast for days.

It also sucks a lot when it's dark before starting work, dark after leaving work, and during the day rather cold to be exposing skin to the sun.