eileen

SOURCE LINK AND FULL ARTICLE: http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Society..._vitamin/1221/

By DR. PRADNYA KULKARNI
Column: Doc Talk
HONG KONG, CHINA

.......Unlike other vitamins that cannot be manufactured by the human body, vitamin D can be produced in the skin, with the help of sunlight, and hence technically speaking it is not a vitamin. In fact, its structure is that of a steroid and its behavior is like a hormone.
Considering that it can be produced in sunlight, one would imagine that most people in the world, especially those living in tropical countries, would have ample stores of vitamin D. But, in fact, there is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in many parts of the world.
Surveys conducted in some large cities of India, a sunny country, show that more than 30 percent of school kids and pregnant women have subnormal levels and up to 90 percent of menopausal women have low levels of vitamin D. Similarly, deficiency is also common in populations of Korea, Japan, China, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Italy, Spain, Australia and even North America.
The elderly who spend a lot of time indoors, as in residential care; people who cover their entire body when they are outdoors, for cultural or religious reasons or for protection from the sun; patients of skin conditions who avoid sunlight, people given to using sun block creams all the time, people with dark skin and people living in regions with poor sunlight are susceptible to this deficiency. Breast-fed babies are also at risk as breast milk has only small amounts of vitamin D.
With emerging evidence of the role vitamin D plays in normal functioning and the prevention of cancer and its spread in several organs and tissues besides bones, like the prostate, breast, intestine, kidney, muscles and immune cells, it is important to raise its levels in the blood.
While the exact role this sunshine vitamin plays is still being established, experts believe it is time to educate the masses about its significance and take steps to increase its levels in the blood. A blood level of at least 30 nanograms per milliliter has been proven to be most appropriate.
Sensible exposure to the sun, which includes exposing arms and legs for five to 30 minutes a day depending on the time of day, season, distance from the equator and skin pigmentation, is advised by Dr. Holick. The World Health Organization, however, warns against overdoing it, to protect against cancers due to overexposure to the sun.
Fortifying food, which is easy and cheap and is already practiced in North America, and nutritional supplements of vitamin D, in consultation with a doctor, is a good alternative. Meanwhile, sipping a glass of milk while basking in the early morning sun might go a long way toward prolonging life.

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under-exposure to uv rays is as dangerous as over-exposure...This is "D" life! (eileen)