According to The National newspaper (9th August 2013) – I formulated the following gist: The sun is our friend in more than a thousand ways! About 90 percent of a person’s recommended intake of Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Dr. Ahmed Bahaa, an emergency physician at Abu Dhabi’s Burjeel explains, “There are some people who sit behind the windows for hours thinking that they are forming Vitamin D under their skin by the sunlight, but they are not”. Dr. Ahmed Bahaa advises people to go outdoor and be in the sunlight for an average of 20 minutes, at least twice a week.
Another specialist – Dr. Maged Shurrab advises that one is required to expose almost 75 percent of his body – which means exposure of face, arms, feet and back. He says sunscreen should not be applied at that time as it will block the sun’s rays to penetrate into the body, thus, blocking Vitamin D. The issue of sunburn is not there because the exposure is for a very short duration.
The long-term deficiency of Vitamin D can lead to fragile bones, muscle ailments. Children should be encouraged to participate in short outdoor activities during the week without the application of sunscreen lotions.
About 10% of our Vitamin D sources can be derived from foods, such as, milk, oranges, limes, salmon, mackerel and sardines.
Geeta Chhabra
