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.

Eating walnuts best bet for a healthy heart

A new study has suggested that walnuts have a combination of more healthful antioxidants and higher quality antioxidants than any other nut. 

It positioned walnuts in the No. 1 slot among a family of foods that lay claim to being among Mother Nature's most nearly perfect packaged foods: Tree and ground nuts.

"Walnuts rank above peanuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios and other nuts," said Joe Vinson, who did the analysis.

"A handful of walnuts contains almost twice as much antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut. But unfortunately, people don't eat a lot of them. This study suggests that consumers should eat more walnuts as part of a healthy diet," he added. 

Vinson found that the quality, or potency, of antioxidants present in walnuts was highest among the nuts.

Antioxidants in walnuts were 2-15 times as potent as vitamin E, renowned for its powerful antioxidant effects that protect the body against damaging natural chemicals involved in causing disease.

"There's another advantage in choosing walnuts as a source of antioxidants," said Vinson, who is with the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

"The heat from roasting nuts generally reduces the quality of the antioxidants. People usually eat walnuts raw or unroasted, and get the full effectiveness of those antioxidants," he added.

The report was presented at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society.