Britons are at risk of suffering from a vitamin D deficiency because they believe there is no level of sun exposure that is safe.
According to a new poll from the National Osteoporosis Society, 74 per cent of people questioned believe you should always use sunscreen.
But experts believe that people should be exposed to the sun for between 15 and 20 minutes every day, without the use of sunscreen.
Sunscreen blocks the process of vitamin D production and exposure to the sun three to four times a week is enough to achieve the recommended levels.
Meanwhile, 45 per cent of people polled thought the best source of vitamin D was dairy food while 17 per cent thought it was produced during exercise.
Professor Roger Frances, chair of the organisation's medical board, claimed that the findings demonstrated the success of public health messages about sun exposure.
"However an unanticipated side-effect may be that people now feel that they shouldn't spend any time in the sun at all. Potentially, this could result in a lack of vitamin D and increased risk of osteoporosis," he explained.
Britons are at risk of suffering from a vitamin D deficiency because they believe there is no level of sun exposure that is safe.
