India is the place of Gods. We see God in every being ,things ,places. We worship and we worship the Sun , the most powerful heavenly body. We do Surya namaskar , we offer him water , we keep fast for him and we pray for our health. Why ? Because SUN gives us strength, power ,energy and the FOOD. It also provides us with the "sunshine vitamin" , VITAMIN D.
Ever wondered why dandruff tends to be less severe in summer. It's because direct ultraviolet light has an anti-inflammatory effect on scaly skin conditions.
But are we using the valuable sunshine ? No! in this modern world, NO. Actually , we are so engrossed in ME that we don't have time for ourselves. Most of us leave the house early and come home late , travel either by public transport or cars , work in air conditioned offices and by chance if we go out on a sunny day, use sunscreens or carry an umbrella to protect ourselves from being tanned or wrinkled. In short , we are neglecting the sunshine and becoming deficient of many vital nutrients.
All vertebrates, including humans , obtain most of their daily vitamin D requirements from casual exposure to sunlight. Solar ultraviolet rays penetrate the skin where they convert 7-dehydrocholesterol to pre cholecalciferol , which undergoes rearrangement of its double bond to form cholecalciferol. Latitude, season, time of day as well as the integrity of the atmospheric ozone layer influence the amount of rays reaching the earth's surface and thereby alter the cutaneous production of cholecalciferol.
The "sunshine vitamin " , Vitamin D is important for the absorption of CALCIUM and PHOSPHORUS. It assists in regulating blood levels of calcium and phosphorus and is essential for the maintenance of healthy cartilages and bones. It is a fat soluble vitamin and the body creates it when the sun's ultraviolet ray strikes the skin for about 10 to 15 minutes a day. Vitamin D is a collective term for a group of compounds which includes ergocalciferol (D2), cholecalciferol (D3),and the dihydrotachysterol (DHT2 &DHT3) , together with their biologically active metabolites.
Dietary vitamin D is absorbed together with fat from the intestine. Thus, in fat malabsorption, vitamin D absorption is reduced. It is stored mainly in the liver.
Vitamin D enhances bone strength. The vitamin has been shown to hinder the breakdown of bone and the progression of osteoarthritis. Population studies link low levels of vitamin D with an elevated risk for osteoarthritis. Elderly women with low blood levels of vitamin D may have an elevated risk for osteoarthritis in the hip.
In the earlier times in India , everyone was not lucky enough to get the valuable sunshine, osteomalacia was common among women, particularly those in "purdah". The reasons for their problems were poor diet , low intake of milk , exposure to sunlight, repeated pregnancy and prolonged lactation.
The deficiency of vitamin D in children during the period of active skeletal growth causes rickets which results from the defective mineralisation of the ends of the growing bones.
Studies show that postmenopausal women with a good intake of calcium and vitamin D have the lowest risk for osteoporosis related bone loss and fractures.
Vitamin D is essential for proper calcium absorption and research findings suggest that it may be particularly important for obese individuals who may have reduced levels of bioavailable vitamin D. Excess body fat store this fat soluble vitamin, making it unavailable for its healthful activities including strengthening the skeleton. So it is advisable to shed off the excess weight.
Low serum levels of vitamin D have been associated with psoriasis. With regular doses of sun , psoriasis sufferers improve.
Vitamin D may help treatment with SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
Vitamin D works in tandem to improve the health of the skin. It may play a part in suppressing premenstrual acne and oily skin.
Some of the packaged milk is fortified with vitamin D. Egg yolk , dairy products, fishes such as salmon, mackerel , sardines, and tuna are the natural source . Studies have shown that one teaspoon per day of cod liver oil may help alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis by providing the body with substantial amount of vitamin D and A. But , please note, both vitamin A and D can be toxic in large amount so limit the intake of any supplement to only a teaspoon. Too much of a supplement can damage the liver.
In this modern world , many commercial preparations of vitamin D are available along with calcium salts. Like other fat soluble vitamins, vitamin D can be stored in the body.
But massive vitamin D therapy can be harmful. With increasing doses of vitamin D , the serum calcium , serum phosphorus level rises resulting in abnormal calcification in the kidneys, blood vessels and other organs. The most common symptoms are loss of appetite (which may prompt the mothers to give more vitamins ), nausea , thirst , vomiting and constipation and later impaired kidney functions. Don't get too much vitamin D if you are suffering from kidney stones.
Start the day with sunshine, admire the sun as without it no life can thrive , celebrate pongal , uttarayan , makar sankranti , bihu and many more festivals , bask in the morning sun daily only for ten minutes so that no supplements are needed. Eat a whole egg or fatty fish or krill oil to keep your bones healthy and for the vegetarian people sunshine is the best source along with a glass or two of vitamin D fortified milk.
