How many of us love the sunshine and ensure to spend some time under the sun? Not many, and this is the primary reason why many of us lack sufficient levels of Vitamin D, fondly called the ‘sunshine vitamin.’

Why Do We Need Vitamin D?

An essential nutrient, adequate vitamin D levels are inevitable for numerous health benefits such as:

• Increased bone and teeth health
• Reduced risk of diseases
• Better immunity levels
• Regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus
• Decreased risk of stress and depression

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

How do we realize that we lack this nutrient? It is no magic but becomes evident with signs and symptoms such as:

• Hair fall
• Fatigue and body ache
• Muscle weakness
• Mood swings
• Bone pain

Best Sources of the Sunshine Vitamin

Surprisingly, vitamin D is not a vitamin technically! It is a prohormone that’s unique mainly because there aren’t many food sources rich in this nutrient.

Sun is the best source of Vitamin D, and luckily, we are in no shortage of this vital source. Go out, enjoy the sunlight for 15-20 minutes, and be sure of adding this valuable nutrient to your body. Every individual's absorption capability of the UV radiations emitted by the sun depends on where you live, the time of day, melanin content of your skin, exposed body parts, and pollution levels. It's best recommended that you do it between 10 AM and 3 PM for not more than thrice a week. 

Food: A Secondary Source of Vitamin D

Diet plays a secondary role in helping us acquire adequate vitamin D levels, especially for vegans and lactose-intolerant individuals, as the vital food sources of this nutrient include very few foods such as oily fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines, and herring), egg yolks, red meat, fortified foods (orange juice, milk), and mushrooms exposed to the sun.

Foods can help, but it is impractical to meet the required vitamin D levels with diet alone. We can always meet the gaps by consuming Vitamin D supplements as per our physician’s recommendations. 

Recommended Vitamin D Levels

If we look at the recommended levels of the nutrient, the dosage differs depending on your age ranging between 400 IU/day and 600 IU/day with the maximum permissible upper limits standing at 4000IU/day (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d--vitamin-d-deficiency). Breaking such threshold values can lead to symptoms such as headache, nausea, loss of appetite, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting. Other debilitating side effects include kidney-related problems, bone loss, hypercalcemia, and increased blood levels.

‘D’ Conclusion

We are way past relying on simple body tans as sunscreens and sedentary jobs have created turmoil in our lifestyle. Sunscreens with a PF factor above 30 reduces vitamin D synthesis by more than 95% (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/) though the exact role of these creams in reduced vitamin D synthesis remains unclear. Test yourself if you suffer from any symptoms of deficiency, take the necessary steps to conquer the impairment, and establish stable levels by following the right nutrition protocols suggested by doctor