Soak up the sun for Vitamin D



It's free and easily available in India. But lack of it can lead to many health problems. Yes, we are talking about Vitamin D. 

Vitamin D sufficiency, along with diet and exercise, has emerged as one of the most important preventive factors in human health. Many studies now link vitamin D deficiency with significantly higher rates of many forms of cancer , as well as heart disease , osteoporosis , multiple sclerosis and many other conditions and diseases.

So, it's time to soak up the sun. Spending long hours in air-conditioned rooms have become the norm of urban lifestyle. Human beings spend less time in the sun today than at any point in human history - which is why more than one billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient. Hence, it's very essential to look at life through rays of sunshine.
Get is easily: 
We can get 90 per cent of our vitamin D naturally from sunlight exposure to our skin - specifically, from ultraviolet B exposure to the skin, which naturally initiates the conversion of cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D3. Few food items like salmon, egg, tuna, fortified milk can also give you your share of vitamin D. But nothing matches sunshine which is so easily available.

Sunlight is the best and only natural source of vitamin D. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight. Vitamin D is called the 'sunshine vitamin' because it is formed in the skin through exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is estimated that throughout the seasons, around 15 minutes exposure to the sun a few days a week is enough to provide the required amount of vitamin D.

So what should you do? 
Experts say there's no need to lose sleep over it. Fair-skinned people only need around 15 minutes of direct sunlight to produce enough vitamin D to last for several days (although people with darker skin may need more exposure). And it's not suggested that this exposure to the sun has to be every day; instead, a few short exposures a week is considered to be plenty. These exposures could be fitted into your day-to-day activities. Go for walks, bicycle rides or even driving with windows rolled down when the sun is shining. No need to go for all these activities in the night if you want your quota of Vitamin D.