Photo by James Day on Unsplash
Most of us are deficient in Vitamin D. Thanks to the lockdown I know so many relatives and friends who have not stepped out of the house even NOW! For nine months many of us have not had a
SUN BATH.
It is a surprising fact that in a sunny country like India there is so much of Vitamin D deficiency. Around 80% or so, eight out of 10 Indians are Vitamin D deficient.
Covid has brought the importance of Vitamin D back into focus.
Many of us have started saying Hello to the Sun. Believe you me, even before you wake up, he is there waiting for you with a radiant, sunny, smile. Saying: Rise, Shine. Have a sunny, bright, lovely day!
Sun is the best source of Vitamin D. But it takes time. You need to spend at least 30-60 minutes every day to get your DAILY quota of Vitamin D.
Imagine during lockdown how much Vitamin D you must have lost as you were imprisoned in your own home. Deficiencies in most of us must have become acute.
Food is not a great source of Vitamin D. Many food items are being supplemented with Vitamin D. They too are not a good source.
We require (called RDA or Recommended Daily Allowance) 600-800 IU to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D. In other words, if we have sufficient, then we need at least this much daily! If we are deficient, we need to take care of the deficiency.
Why are many of us deficient in Vitamin D?
Dr. Anil Bhat @anilbhatortho
Orthopaedic #Handsurgeon| love to operate, teach, cook & travel| Associate Dean @kmc_manipal @MAHE_Manipal
tweeted:
Vitamin D absorption is based on age, skin colour, the time of the day when exposed to sun, where you dwell, the season, and the pollution . All these have an influence of the amount of UVB that reaches your skin.
Recommended time is between 11 to 1pm for a minimum of one hour. More exposure doesn't mean more synthesis. Everything in moderation is good. Dietary source alone might not be very useful if there are problems in Gut absorption or kidney disease. Supplements may than be required.
Optimally, we should acquire Vitamin D: 90% from the Sun, and 10% from food.
Alternatively, we can acquire Vitamin D: 30 % from Sun, 30 % from Food, 30 % from supplements.
Do remember to take sufficient Calcium along with Vitamin D as they go hand in hand.
According to one doctor the best time for Sun exposure is between 11 am to 3 pm.
My view: Sun at any time is better than No sun!
Subhasree Ray @DrSubhasree
Corporate Medical Services - RIL. PhD Sch. Ketogenic Diet & Refractory Epilepsy. Diabetes Educator (IDF).
Has
been tweeting about the importance of Vitamin D for quite a few months now. Probably, she has shared at least a 100 tweets on Vitamin D. She has shared many solid (medical) links too as
evidence.
If you want to improve your health via nutrition and lifestyle changes, you must follow her on Twitter. Every day she shares excellent graphics and information to improve our health -- via nutrition.
She tweeted:
Vitamin D is crucial for the body's immune system. It's indispensable for the prevention of infectious diseases and COVID 19 is no different. Science is not going to change if a section of people doesn't want to see the mounting evidence.
YouTube / Google
There are thousands of videos on the benefits of Vitamin D on YouTube. Worth watching. One lady doctor has also been providing the doses of Vitamin D that you can take. I did take a few mega doses based on her YouTube advice!
Testing
Vitamin D testing is "expensive". Rs.1500. If the doctor says you need to do this test, then you need to do it! Else, you may not want to spend Rs.1500.
Vitamin D Supplementation
Many food products these days are fortified with Vitamin D. But that will not be enough. Getting 600-800 IU daily via food is tough. For vegetarians and vegans, even more so perhaps.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommends a daily supplement of 400 IU/day of vitamin D assuming that you are getting enough Vitamin D through sunlight. Internationally, I think 1000 IU/day is recommended. Best would be to take these under medical guidance.
If you take a
multi-vitamin supplement, varying amount of Vitamin D is present with a minimum of 400 IU of course!
Have a Sunny Day every day for the rest of your life! May you never be Vitamin D deficient!
I will keep updating this page. So watch out for more information. All of us are there on Twitter. So you can always ask questions there. #MedTwitter, doctors on Twitter, are usually very helpful.