Vitamin D Archives

May 5, 2020 By Vandana Juneja 4 Comments

Importance of Vitamin D For Boosting Immunity

Vitamin D is a pro-hormone that is synthesized in the body when exposed to sunlight, and hence, is called the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is an extremely important vitamin that has powerful effects on several systems throughout our body.

Health Benefits of Vitamin D

Promoting healthy bones and teeth.
Supporting Immune, Brain and Nervous system health.
Helps in regulating insulin levels, thus supports Diabetes Management.
Helps maintain healthy lung function and cardiovascular health.
Has a role in influencing the expression of genes involved in cancer development.

How Does It Improve Immunity Levels?

Human body fights infections using two types of immune systems – the innate system (responsible for quickly fighting infections) and the adaptive system (which produces a slower response but is highly specialised, e.g. responsible for the production of antibodies). Vitamin D seems to modulate both these systems which explains why this hormone has such a wide effect on the immune system.

Vitamin D deficiency is observed more in people suffering from seasonal nature of cold and flu outbreaks. During winters and seasonal changes, there is less sunlight, and less sunlight means less vitamin D available for absorption, which leads to lower immunity and more illness.

Why Do Immunity Cells Need Vitamin D?

Vitamin D has a “non-classic” role in modulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses of our body towards any illness or infection. What does this mean? Basically, Vit D receptors are found all over our body, including the immune cells. T cells are one of the immune cells known as the killer cells in our immune system which come into action when the body is under attack by an infective agent/invader/foreign pathogen.

If Vitamin D is not around, these “naïve” T cells will not become active and transform into the required killer cells or helper cells (which are charged with memory of the invaders). Many studies have concluded that T cells first search for Vitamin D in order to get activated and if they cannot find enough of it, will not complete the activation process, remain dormant and not act against the infection, leaving our body vulnerable to an attack.

Hence Vitamin D is very important for activating the T-cells of our immune system!

How Do You Get Enough Of Vitamin D?

1. Sunlight
Getting sufficient sunlight is the best way to help the body produce enough Vitamin D. Exposing your skin to the sun for 20 to 30 minutes a day would ensure enough UVB rays come in contact with the cholesterol in the skin, thus, providing the energy for Vitamin D synthesis to take place.

However, many factors affect how much Vit D a person gets from the sun, such as:

Time of day: The skin produces more vitamin D when one is in the sun during the middle of the day (between 10 am to 1 pm), the time it is at its highest point in the sky.
Sunscreen: Applying sunscreen tends to block the sun from hitting your body, thus, limiting the synthesis of the vitamin in your body. It is best to allow the sun’s UVB rays to come in contact with the body, directly in order to allow the production of Vitamin D to take place.
Area of skin exposed: The more skin a person exposes, the more Vit D the body will make. So wearing minimum clothing, and exposing most parts of our body, will ensure greater production of the vitamin.
Skin colour: People with a light colour skin absorb more UV rays, to produce Vit D more quickly than darker coloured skins, due to the presence of the pigment melanin.
Place: Where a person lives in relation to the equator also has a significant impact on how much UV rays are available for absorption and production of Vit D
Always Remember: Frequent, moderate exposure to the sun is healthy but prolonged exposure can be dangerous. Besides sunburn, you can be at a higher risk of developing skin cancer.

2. Food Sources
The best way to improve your Vit D levels is exposing yourself to sunlight, however, the consumption of certain foods can surely help increase vitamin levels in the body. These are:

Fish (Salmon, trout, mackerel, and tuna)
Egg yolks
Cheese
Mushrooms
Fortified milk
Fortified cereals and juices

3. Supplements
If you have less exposure to direct sunlight and are observing symptoms of Vit D deficiency which includes frequent illness, fatigue, tiredness, bone & back pain, depression, low bone mineral density, muscle pain, etc. you can start with supplementation but only after consulting a doctor or a certified nutritionist.

In India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommends a daily supplement of 400 IU/day of Vit D, under situations of minimal exposure to sunlight or when symptoms of deficiency are observed.

Hope this article helps you understand the importance of the Sunshine Vitamin, especially to boost immunity. Use this quarantine time to expose yourself to the beautiful soothing sun rays and stay healthy!

For more tips on boosting your immunity, tune in to experts on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce

April 23, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

Top 4 Causes of Body Aches & Pains

Experiencing aches and pains in your body is normal. But when these aches and pains persist for longer periods of time and make it difficult for you to move, you have to start asking a few questions.

What is causing this pain? Should I seek help?

Aches and pains are common for a body that is unhealthy and unfit. By the time the unease of these aches and pains set in, it is too late to do any activity in order to get healthier. Based on the research of our IndiaFit Report, we’ve identified the top 4 causes of body aches and pains.

What Causes Aches and Pain?

Additional Weight Strain: When you’re overweight, the additional pounds place immense strain on your joints and bones. This continued strain causes long term issues in the body which result in body aches and pains.
Lack of Movement: One of the major causes of body aches is a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting in one place for longer periods of time, incorrect or bad posture and lack of exercise, all contribute to body pain.
Incorrect Posture While Exercising: Incorrect form or posture when lifting weights, performing an exercise or not giving your body enough cause strain and further aches and pains.
Vitamin D Deficiency: Vitamin D is essential for bone health. Lack of it can cause body aches. This deficiency may be due to lack of exposure to sunlight, not getting enough Vitamin D from food, not being able to absorb Vitamin D from food, etc.

How Can You Tackle Body Aches and Pains?

The easiest way to deal with this issue is to get enough of Vitamin D. Right from its basic function of increasing calcium absorption to promoting bone health, it can also elevate mood, reduce depression and build immunity.

Some of the other ways to deal with aches include:

Losing excess weight
Fix Vitamin D3, Magnesium, and Calcium Levels
Develop muscles around the bone
Invest in rest and recovery after a workout
Avoid acidity causing foods

Have we missed out on anything? Do you have any queries? Write them down in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

January 11, 2018 By Urvashi Malhotra - GOQii Coach 4 Comments

Vitamin D- The Gift of Sun

“Mrs. Sharma has been prescribed vitamin shots by the doctor”, gossiped my maid. She explained this both with surprise and fantasy with little clue of what the issue was with Mrs. Sharma. All she knew was Mrs. Sharma had been complaining of constant pain in most bones of her body

My 9 year old nephew, Phagun, pesters his mom to give him chocolate flavored supplement in his milk. He loves chocolate flavor, but he claims that adding this supplement to his milk would enhance the “power of milk” – a clear case of impact of television on children. But, is there any truth in what Phagun is claiming? Let’s understand.

The common thread between the 2 stories above is an essential nutrient called Vitamin D. Also known as the sunshine vitamin, it is produced by the body in response to sunlight. Latitude, cultural dress habits, season, sun avoidance, and sunscreen protection can all limit vitamin D production. Hence the sedentary lifestyle of Mrs. Sharma could be the reason of her problems today.Dietary source of Vitamin D comes from fortified foods such as milk, juices,margarines, yogurts, cereals, and soy, animal foods (oily fish, eggs, and liver).Vitamin D is constantly being used for calcium metabolism and bone and hence its connection to calcium absorption in the bodywhich means Phagun was right.

Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to play a role in almost every major disease like Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis. Research has shown that there is a correlation between low vitamin D levels, insulin resistance, and inflammation, all of which contribute to PCOS and other hormonal disorders

The best and natural way to get vitamin D is to sit in sun for short period of time for about 10 to 15 minutes -one doesn’t need to tan or burn our skin to get vitamin D. The more skin you expose the more vitamin D is produced.Vitamin D supplements is also a good way to get vitamin D particularly if you can’t get enough sunlight for some reason, or if you’re already deficient and is then recommended by physicians.Supplementation with 800 to 1000 IU/day of vitamin D is safe for most people and can ensure levels of vitamin D within the optimal range.

So next time, if you are trying to avoid sun to save yourselves from tanning or to avoid a risk of an additional pimple, think twice. Absorb the sun, its free and can free you from lot of troubles.

September 14, 2017 By Dr Akshat Chadha 3 Comments

When was the last time you had a complete health check?

The week began on a sad note. Monday morning was a morning, I would like to erase out of my memory as soon as possible. I was sitting at the breakfast table with my wife when I got a call from my mom saying that one of my cousins-Raj had suffered a major heart attack and had passed away even before reaching the hospital. It was an untimely death. He was barely 40 years of age, young and happy with no major worries. Nobody, in the family, had seen this coming, not even his wife.

He displayed no signs of stress, worry or any kind of illness. He was not fat nor did he lead a sedentary lifestyle. Then what happened? This thought kept bothering me ever since I heard of what had happened. Being a Doctor, I was determined to delve deep to find the root cause of the problem. After probing some of the family members, I found that there was a family history of heart disease and diabetes. Despite this, he had not done a single blood check in the last 3 years. Whenever I would enquire about getting a health checkup, he would brush it aside and say, “I am healthy and I do not see a need to get pricked unnecessarily”.

What upsets me more is that we are a family of doctors and within my own family, I have people who think otherwise about health check-ups and feel it’s unnecessary to have one done regularly more so when you do not display any symptoms of illness. The importance of health checkups is highlighted only when you encounter health problems you really can’t predict. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry later?

Let me be loud and clear here when I say there is a reason why blood tests have been invented and have a huge diagnostic value. But, unfortunately, getting a blood test today, is considered as a money making a source for the Doctor. I don’t want to talk about blood tests today, I just want to emphasize the importance of getting a whole body check-up done once a year especially if you are over 30 years old. Timely medical checkups could make all the difference between prevention and cure; especially when each decade comes with its own set of lifestyle ailments.

What is the harm I ask? What do you have to lose? If it’s the money, then maybe you can cut down on eating out one weekend or reduce your shopping one month and instead utilize that money to get to know about your health?

A lot changes in 30 days leave alone in 365 days. We go through several ups and downs and our body goes through a lot of wear and tear process be it physical or mental. Our internal organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys are designed to work non-stop and there is no harm in knowing the state of our organs and bones in real time so that the necessary lifestyle changes can be made if needed.

One does not have to necessarily pop pills, more often than not lifestyle changes can make a huge difference. If a machine works well with regular maintenance and check-ups then why do we leave the most important machine (our body) to chance?

You need to listen to your body, feel the pain when it happens, and address the breakdown in a way to avoid its re-occurrence. You need to give your body a good fighting chance by living a good healthy life which is supported by well-functioning internal organs.

Personally, a good comprehensive screening package including CBC ( Complete Blood Count), Lipids, Renal (Kidney) and Liver profile, Sugar tests, Thyroid and basic Vitamins like D and B12 is a must for every individual once a year even if he or she is absolutely healthy. Make sure you are working fine inside so that you can do everything you want outside.

Age is not a factor. Anybody at the age of 30 years and above should get their blood tests done once a year at least. This is an excellent comprehensive screening of your entire body including heart, liver, and kidney along with important vitamins. We are putting in a lot of effort taking care of our bodies but, if our organs don’t support it then we will always fall short of results.

The prerequisite for leading a healthy life is a comprehensive health check-up once a year.