Tanning beds don’t contain vitamin D, but they can get your body to produce it — but there are a few catches.
Here’s the lowdown:
Here’s how your body makes vitamin D.
Your body makes vitamin D when it’s exposed to UVB radiation from sunlight.
Some tanning beds emit UVB, but most primarily emit UVA, which doesn’t help with vitamin D production and causes more skin ageing and cancer risk.
Warning! Issues with using tanning beds to get your vitamin D.
The UVB output is a bit unreliable.
Most modern tanning beds are designed for cosmetic tanning and mostly emit UVA, so they produce little or no vitamin D.
There are some pretty serious health risks involved.
Tanning beds can increase your risk of skin cancer, including deadly melanoma.
Even spending just a short time in a tanning bed can damage your skin’s DNA.
There are better sources out there.
It’s better and safer to take supplements and eat foods that are high in omega-3, like fatty fish, fortified milk and eggs.
You just need to make sure you get 10–15 minutes of sun a few times a week (depending on your skin type and where you live) to get enough vitamin D.
