HEALTH: In chilly, foggy weather take care of Vitamin D

Chandigarh, December 26, 2012:  Now when winter is at peak in general and foggy weather in particular, your vitamin D level is dropping just when you need it the most. In fact on an average, vitamin D level can drop well into the deficiency zone, increasing risk of illness, cancer, and a host of other health problems.

Vitamin D is an essential co-factor in the prevention of a host of conditions ranging from cancer to diabetes, dementia and cardiovascular disease. It can also effectively shield us from the common cold and influenza during winter months.

Says city based Senior Orthopedic Surgeon Dr Harinder Batth, many current guidelines for vitamin D levels are inadequate because they only take into account what is needed for bone health, and will leave us susceptible to cancer and many other chronic diseases.

He says, the blood levels of vitamin D below 20 ng/ml to be outright deficient, 21-29 ng/ml  is insufficient, and 30-100 ng/ml is sufficient for achieving optimal health. But unfortunately, the latest research confirms that 33 percent of Indians are outright deficient. Interestingly during the winter, the levels may drop as much as 50 percent, plunging one deep into deficiency territory. But this can be avoided with correct supplementation and where possible with sunlight exposure.

In order to raise vitamin D levels into the optimum range throughout the year it is   recommended that  the following daily intake levels of vitamin D are required :
Children under one-year-old: 400-1,000 IU/day , Children one to 18 years old: 600-1,000 IU/day and Adults: 1500-2000 IU/day, points out Dr Batth.

It's next to impossible to get these amounts through food alone, asserts Dr Batth . Only oily fish, fortified foods, mushrooms, and eggs contain significant amounts. The recent studies have estimated that, from food alone, women get fewer than 210 IU/day, men get fewer than 320 IU/day and children between one and eight years old get fewer than 250 IU/day of vitamin D, says Dr Batth.

Correcting these gaps through supplementation is quite safe, as the current upper limits for most children and adults is well around 4000 IU . Beyond supplements, sensible sun exposure can also be safely used to further increase vitamin D levels for optimal health. Exposure  at least arms and face 30 minutes daily is optimal, opines Dr. Batth.

Any levels below 20 ng/ml are considered deficiency states and will increase your risk of breast and prostate cancer and autoimmune diseases like MS and rheumatoid arthritis, remarks Dr Batth .

Explaining importance of sunshine in getting Vitamin D , Dr. Batth says the sunshine vitamin is a critical part of our evolution as it has been circulating in our ancestral blood for countless generations due to plentiful sun exposure. It has only been the past half-century that we have lathered ourselves with sunscreen and hidden in buildings away from the vitamin D producing effects of the sun. Taking adequate care along with regular exercise ensures a healthy body in winters, he asserts.