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Canadians of all ages should be getting a few minutes of unprotected exposure to the sun every day, and most should take a daily vitamin D supplement, the Canadian Cancer Society says.

The cautious but significant change of policy reflects the belief that diet alone cannot provide northern people such as Canadians with adequate levels of vitamin D, a nutrient that ensures healthy bones and muscles, and that may lower the risk of colorectal cancer and multiple sclerosis.

"We don't want people to run out and interpret this as: 'Oh good, I can stay out in the sun all day,' " said Heather Logan, the society's director of cancer-control policy.

"A little sun goes a long way. You don't need to get a tan."

Ms. Logan said, however, that the sun-avoidance message of recent years may have been too stringent. She said most people would benefit from daily exposure to ultraviolet light -- which the body transforms into vitamin D -- by being out in the sun five to 10 minutes daily, when the sun is low. Elderly people and those with darkly pigmented skin need more exposure.

The Cancer Society is also recommending that Canadians take vitamin D supplements, particularly in winter. The recommended daily dosage varies by age:

200 international units up to

age 50;

400 IU for those aged 50-70;

600 IU for people over the age

of 70;

Breastfed babies should get

vitamin D drops.

Ms. Logan acknowledged that many nutrition experts believe those dosages are too low for optimal health.

"Most likely the right amount is somewhere between 200 and 2,000 international units of vitamin D daily," she said.

But, again, she stressed the right level would depend on a person's age, where he or she lives, and his or her diet.

Vitamin D is also found in food, principally in oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardine and herring. In Canada, some foods are also fortified with vitamin D, including milk, soy milk and margarine.

Susan Whiting, a spokeswoman for Dieticians of Canada, said the recommendations for vitamin D are based on the assumption that people will get exposure to sunlight and it is highly unlikely that diet alone would provide adequate vitamin D.

"You would need to drink three big glasses of milk and eat a tin of sardines every day to get adequate vitamin D," she said.

That's why the dieticians' group is now recommending that everyone take a daily supplement containing at least 400 IU of vitamin D. (Only about one-third of Canadians take daily vitamins.)

Dr. Whiting, who is also a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, said she personally thinks of that as a bare minimum, and would not hesitate to recommend 1,000 IU daily to many people.

She also believes that more foods should be fortified with vitamin D. "Fortification is the way to go. We need to get vitamin D into the food the people actually eat."

The new recommendations were forged at a high-level conference in March attended by 14 Canadian, U.S. and international health organizations.

Among those participating were the American Cancer Society, the Canadian Dermatology Association, Osteoporosis Canada, the American College of Rheumatology and the World Health Organization Centre for Promotion of Sun Protection.

Each group has come up with its own specific recommendations, but they all generally reflect a more subtle message about exposure to the sun.

Too much exposure to UV rays - either by sun rays or tanning beds - can cause skin cancer, melanoma (the most severe form of skin cancer) and cataracts.

But lack of sun exposure, which causes vitamin D deficiency, contributes to a number of serious health problems including rickets (a once-common bone condition in children), osteoporosis and broken bones in the elderly, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and some forms of cancer, notably colorectal.

The challenge for individuals -- as well as for the groups drafting recommendations -- is how to best balance the benefits and risks posed by exposure to the sun, and how to best obtain adequate levels of vitamin D.

A study published last year suggested that less than half of Canadians get 200 IU of vitamin D daily, the minimum level for good health.

According to the new recommendations, sun protection is required when the UV index is 3 (moderate) or higher.

It is also suggested that direct exposure to the sun be avoided between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, and that sunscreen with a protection factor of 15 or higher be used most of them time when outdoors, along with hats.