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“Parents should be made aware of optimizing the intake of this essential vitamin”
New Delhi, May 4, 2018:
A recent research has indicated that vitamin D can help in improving the overall health of malnourished children and help them learn languages easily. This finding could be a game-changer in the management of severe acute malnutrition, which affects 20 million children worldwide currently.
Vitamin D, known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’ has beneficial effects and is well known for its improving bone and muscle health. Earlier studies have also shown that a normal intake of vitamin D can cut down on your risk of early death significantly in people who have cardiovascular disease. The research showed that the risk can be lowered by 30%.
Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India, said, “Maximum production of pre-vitamin D3 occurs between 11am and 2pm in the day. However, most people avoid being in the sun during this time in order to escape the heat. A significant portion of our skin should not be overly covered as this can limit direct exposure to beneficial UV rays. There is a need to make people aware of optimizing their vitamin D and calcium intake through locally available foods over different seasons. This specifically holds true in youngsters. A small amount of sun exposure can help the body manufacture its own vitamin D. About 5 to 30 minutes of sunlight twice a week to your face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen will enable you to make enough of the vitamin. People with fair skin that burns easily should protect themselves from skin cancer by limiting sun exposure to 10 minutes or less.”
Low levels of Vitamin D can harm bones, leading them to become thin, brittle, soft or misshapen. It is equally important for the heart, brain, immune function, and much more.
Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the President of the MTNL Perfect Health Mela, said, “To enable better uptake of Vitamin D in children, a genetic assessment of how this is absorbed can be done. This will help in starting supplementation early. One of the primary culprits for reduced absorption is fat and thus it is a good idea to minimize the intake. The current vitamin D mantra is that 40 days in a year for at least 40 minutes. One should expose 40% of the body to the sunlight either after sunrise or just before sunset.”
Some other good sources of Vitamin D include the following.
Cod liver oil Obtained from the liver of the cod fish, this oil is considered extremely healthy. It helps ease joint pains and can be taken in capsule form or oil form.
Mushrooms Dried shitake mushrooms are excellent sources of Vitamin D3 as well as Vitamin B. They are low in calorie and can be consumed daily.
Salmon Salmon is another good source of D3, Omega 3 and protein.
Sunflowers seedsThese seed not only have Vitamin D3 but also monounsaturated fats and protein.
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