Vitamin D plays a crucial role for our body's functioning. Dr Parul R. Sheth explains why you need to catch the sunrays for more than just keeping warm.
According to Diabetes Foundation of India, more than 80 per cent of otherwise healthy people in India are Vitamin-D deficient. And what’s worse? Most of these people do not know that they could be so.
Commonly known as the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin stored in the body’s fatty tissues. Essential for maintaining bone health and preventing osteoporosis, Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorous.
Lack of Vitamin D is associated with many diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, autoimmune disorders, asthma, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, depression and more. The vitamin is especially important for pregnant women.
D-coding the vitamin
What we refer to as Vitamin D comes in various forms, with the two most important forms needed for the human body being Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. One can avoid a Vitamin-D deficiency by standing under the sun for merely 10 minutes. Vitamin D can also be obtained from certain foods, like eggs, fish, cod liver oil and fortified milk.
However, there are some factors that can put you at a risk of not getting enough of it, including an over-zealous use of sunscreens, pollutants in the environment and less exposure to sun owing to climatic conditions or because one mostly stays indoors.
Identifying the deficiency
Despite the growing awareness about the importance of Vitamin D, it is difficult to detect the deficiency, unless diagnosed for. There are few or no symptoms that point towards it. However, experts do suggest taking cue from unexplained back or muscle pains, bone pain, fatigue, depression, etc. to consider going in for a diagnosis.
The 25(OH)D test to measure 25-hydroxy vitamin D in the blood can help reveal the levels of Vitamin D in your body. While recent evidences show that 30-40ng/ml may be required for optimal health, levels that range below 12ng/ml or above 50ng/ml could indicate health issues.
However, despite it being tricky to identify, Vitamin-D deficiency can be corrected with Vitamin D supplements and appropriate lifestyle changes.
The risk factor
Given below are some ways to understand if you may be at risk of Vitamin D.
- Not getting enough sunlight—While it is advisable to use a good sunscreen to protect your skin from too much sun exposure to avoid premature ageing, sunburn and risk of skin cancer, an extra use may even work against you not allowing the skin to absorb the nutrient from the sunlight.
- Ageing of the body— Studies report that even though elders above the age of 65 years
get regular sun exposure, their skin produces 75 per cent less Vitamin D than their younger counterparts, resulting in dementia and cognitive decline.
- Dark skin—The amount of melanin—the skin pigment that determines the colour of your skin—can be an indicator for Vitamin-D deficiency. Melanin reduces the skin’s ability to make Vitamin D from the sun, so the more melanin you have, the darker your skin, and more you would be at risk of being deficient.
- Vegan diet—One of the best sources for Vitamin D is animal foods, such as fatty fish and fish oils. Buffalo meat, liver, cheese and egg yolks also contain some amount of the vitamin. Therefore, there are more chances to be deficient in the vitamin if one follows a vegan diet. And though cereals and orange juice that are fortified with Vitamin D can supplement the requirement to some extent, it may still not be enough.
- Obesity—Excess weight and obesity can put you at a risk of Vitamin-D deficiency.
- Certain diseases—There are a few diseases such as Crohn’s diseases, coeliac disease or some digestive tract illnesses that can make it difficult for the body to absorb Vitamin D from certain foods. Chronic kidney diseases, too, make absorption and utilisation of the vitamin difficult, whereby making it necessary for one to use Vitamin D supplements.
Natural Vitamin-D supply
Short period of sun exposure for about 10 minutes, without sunscreen, is good for Vitamin-D production. But the amount of time you need to spend in the sun to make enough Vitamin D depends upon the type of skin, time of the day and time of the year.
You may get your Vitamin-D refill by exposing your face and arms to the sun, for about 10–15 minutes several times a week. It is considered safe for most skin types, at most latitudes. While some research suggests that the most effective time of the day for making Vitamin D is between 11 am and 3 pm, prolonged sun exposure without the cover of an effective sun-block may still put you at a risk of skin cancer.
The supplement support
A deficiency may not be corrected by merely obtaining Vitamin D from foods and sunlight alone. Those deficient need to take Vitamin-D supplements as necessary, and advised by their physician. The supplements are especially important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, children between six months and five years of age, and people above 65 years of age.
Vitamin D in supplements comes in two forms—D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). Researchers recommend a supplement of a daily dose of 800 to 200 IU (international units) of Vitamin D3 and claim that for better absorption it be taken with a meal that contains fat, like milk or curds. Experts in India recommend oral 60,000 IU of Vitamin D, per week, followed by a maintenance dose of 60,000 IU, per month, to correct the deficiency.
