New research from UC Irvine and the Mayo Clinic further establishes sun exposure as the primary determinant of vitamin D status. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that the vitamin D levels in the U.S. peak in August and bottom out in February, according to a press release from UC Irvine.

“Even with food fortification, vitamin D levels in the population show a high level of seasonality due to the influence of sunlight,” Amy Kasahara, a UC Irvine graduate student in public health and first author on the paper said in the press release. “In this study, we have shown that vitamin D levels lag the solar cycle, peaking in August and troughing in February.”

The researchers measured vitamin D levels in 3.4 million blood samples collected weekly in the United States between July 2006 and December 2011.

While the connection between season and vitamin D levels has long been understood, this study provides more precise data to help researchers further understand the impact of vitamin D on health.

“Our analysis, combined with other data, will help contribute to understanding the role of vitamin D in all seasonal diseases, where the simple winter/spring/summer/autumn categories are not sufficient,” study senior author Andrew Noymer said in the press release.

Click here to read the press release from UC Irvine.

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