A close friend runs one of the largest chains of diagnostic centres in Mumbai. He estimates that 90-95% of people are acutely deficient in Vitamin D. This is quite simple to correct as D3 deficient plays an important part in good health.
Vitamin D-3 is essential for calcium absorption and the prevention of osteoporosis. Other benefits include prevention of: chronic diseases such as lung and breast cancer, heart disease and depression, regulation of immune system and maintaining health of bones and teeth.
Several observational studies have shown an inverse relationship between blood concentrations of vitamin D in the body and the risk of type 2 diabetes.
So, what does your doctor or friend tell you? Just get out early morning and get 15 minutes of sun exposure! Well, that is quite an impractical advice, to begin with. Nearly no one has the discipline or time to fit that into their schedule. Secondly, there is hardly any absorption of vitamin D early morning.
A PAN-India study has revealed that the best time to get sun exposure is between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., since the wavelength of ultraviolet B rays is 290-320nm. UVB is essential for the skin to make vitamin D. While the risk of getting tanned in the sun is almost negligible in the early hours of morning, you will also not get much benefits of vitamin D.
Any takers for going out at 1 p.m. in Mumbai or Delhi, with as much of your skin exposed as possible to get the required dosage of 20 minutes of sun exposure? Obviously not.
Then, ensure that you take a good vitamin D supplement on a daily basis, which would supply you with at least the minimum level of vitamin D. Getting enough vitamin D from our regular diet is obviously not enough.
If you feel supplementation is not required, I would strongly urge you to go and get a simple vitamin D3 test at a diagnostic centre. If you are an upper middleclass Indian not spending time outdoors, my guess is that there is a 90% probability you are deficient (test result between 10-20 ng/ml) or severely deficient (below 10 ng/ ml).
