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Journalism of Courage
Despite living in a tropical country and having sunshine most part of the year, Indians still do not get enough sunlight and suffer from Vitamin D deficiency. A recent survey by an online drug pharmacy also found that nearly 76 per cent or one in three Indians suffers from Vitamin D deficiency. The incidence of deficiency was found to be higher among young people aged below 25, with 84 per cent of them found to be low on this vitamin. In the 25-40 age group, the prevalence was only slightly lower at 81 per cent, but overall they were found to be more deficient than the national average. Surprisingly, the deficiency was the highest in sunny Tier II cities with Vadodara, Surat, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Nashik and Visakhapatnam topping the list. What does this mean? It means that no matter how active we are in indoor spaces, we are not just exposing ourselves enough to the sun or embracing the outdoors as well as we should. Yes, there is winter pollution that dulls the sun but mostly India has a lot of sunny days that we are not taking advantage of.
Sun exposure is the most important natural source of vitamin D and I would say 10-15 minutes in the early morning sun, when its UVB rays are most intense, should do the job. You could step into your balcony, terrace, garden, the neighbourhood park or any spot outdoors, with your upper and lower limbs uncovered. This short spell is enough to give you the daily quota of Vitamin D you need to absorb the calcium and build and maintain your bones. You do not have to burn your skin or worry about skin cancer. Needlessly, we worry about how we can make the time but you can use these 10 minutes to have your tea, read your newspaper, make a telephone call, or just take a short walk. This is a necessity in the cities where most people live in sun-blocked flats and work in an indoor AC environment.
Of course, when you are deficient, there are always Vitamin D supplements. But as I always insist, please get yourself tested on the advice of your doctor, follow the dosage he recommends after you are indeed found to be in short supply and stop when he tells you to. Do not pop pills arbitrarily. Also, understand that you have to be proactive and try to build your levels naturally as most patients of mine come and complain that their levels dropped after their course got over. That’s bound to happen if you do not make an attempt to increase your sun exposure.
WHAT’S THE PROCESS?
When the sun’s rays hit your skin, they activate a process inside the tissues that in turn starts making vitamin D. This is so fast that the body can make all the vitamin D it needs for a day in about half the time it takes the skin to burn.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME FOR SUN EXPOSURE?
The skin produces more vitamin D in the early part of the day. If that seems punishing in hot weather, stay hydrated. Make sure most of your skin surface area is exposed to avail full benefits. Also, a pale-coloured skin makes Vitamin D more quickly than darker-coloured skin. The process slows down among the elderly.
Remember the body cannot make Vitamin D when exposed to the sun’s rays through a window as the glass blocks the sun’s UVB rays. And although the jury is still out on which degree of sunscreen blocks out rays and to what extent, try the 10-minute method without slathering on the cream. The rate of formation is not the same for all people. Some others may not be able to release vitamin D sufficiently into their blood circulation from fat cells. Also, the most important advantage of sun exposure is that it will never lead to toxicity which overdosing on supplements might cause.
BENEFITS OF VITAMIN D
Vitamin D helps the body in absorbing calcium, building bone health, regulating your immunity, preventing respiratory infection and depression, keeping heart muscle healthy and preventing stroke and obesity. Many research papers are testimony to their benefits. In fact, a study by the University of Eastern Finland last month found that fewer cases of melanoma were observed among regular users of vitamin D supplements than among non-users. People taking vitamin D supplements regularly also had a considerably lower risk of skin cancer.
WHAT ARE DIETARY SOURCES OF VITAMIN D?
There are not many options here as only a few foods contain some amount of Vitamin D. These include fatty fishes like salmon and tuna, which can be expensive for most, and egg yolk. Most Indians are vegetarian, so the dietary route is not a very practical option. We are told that mushrooms contain some Vitamin D. Otherwise, there are fortified foods like milk, breakfast cereals and cod liver oils.
The recommended intake of vitamin D for children and teenagers is 600 international units (IU) or 15 micrograms (mcg). Adults up to the age of 70 years old should take 600 IU or 15 mcg, older adults should take 800 IU or 20 mcg while pregnant and breastfeeding women should take 600 IU or 15 mcg. Adults who may need slightly more can only go up to 1,000-4,000 IU (25 –100 mcg) a day from food and supplements.
