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The Vitamin D Advantage: How It Impacts Your Health

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On June 23, 2025

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The Vitamin D Advantage: How It Impacts Your Health

Building a Culture of Health

From the desk of Dr Nandita Shah…

I’m not in favour of supplements. I truly believe that a natural lifestyle and a healthy diet should provide all the nutrients we need. However, experience has taught me that most people today require a vitamin D supplement.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone produced by our body through the direct action of sunlight on our skin. But with modern lifestyles—wearing clothes that cover most of our skin, spending minimal time outdoors, and living in polluted cities where particles in the air block the sun’s rays—vitamin D deficiency has become increasingly common. I’ve seen that even people who regularly sunbathe suffer from the symptoms of this deficiency.

Our hormones are intricately coordinated by the pituitary gland, and when one hormone is out of balance, others can be affected too. A deficiency in vitamin D can contribute to conditions such as diabetes, PCOD, hypothyroidism, and even certain cancers. It’s also essential for calcium absorption, playing a vital role in preventing osteoporosis and dental cavities.

Sadly, we now live artificial lifestyles in a man-made world. Sometimes, we have to rely on man-made solutions—like supplements—to maintain what nature once gave us freely. Given that vitamin D is easy to supplement, why suffer the consequences of its deficiency?

To learn more about vitamin D, do check out our FAQ section on our website.

Highlights

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An experience that taught me a lot about Vitamin D

I never imagined I would be vitamin D deficient. I live close to the beach in a relatively rural area of India and travel a lot on bike. My skin is exposed to the sun. Yet, after 50 years of relatively healthy teeth, I found myself with a cavity. After being away from dentists for so long I had to visit one! Since I take such good care of my health and my teeth, I felt a bit defeated. But I was determined to find out why I developed the cavity. It was a wake-up call. I got my vitamin D levels tested and found them lower than normal. And, all along, I had thought I was getting a fair amount of sunshine just because of where I live!

The experience taught me a lot about this vital vitamin. I learnt that receptors are around our eyes and that if we wear sunglasses our body is tricked into believing that it’s not sunny. This can cause other parts of the body to behave inappropriately even causing sunburn. I learnt that darker skin, like mine, needs more exposure to the sun to absorb vitamin D. I also understood that calcium deficiency is usually because of vitamin D deficiency and acid yielding foods and not because of a lack of intake of calcium.

Calcium tablets should never be prescribed or taken – they only cause kidney stones and calcification of arteries. Deficient calcium intake is unknown. Dairy is not a good source of calcium either as its acid yielding in the body.

We just need to make sure that we get enough of the vital vitamin D.

Recipe – Raw Raita

Ingredients

1 cup chopped or grated salad vegetables of your choice
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, for the garnish

For Curd

½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup coconut milk
10 curry leaves
½ tsp ginger chilli paste (or to taste)
¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

In a blender, blend all the ingredients for the curd together, to obtain a smooth, creamy curd. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the veggies and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serves 3-4

Food For The Mind

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Vitamin D deficiencies are commonplace

Vitamin D is critical for our overall health, particularly if we are to have strong and healthy bones. The best way to get vitamin D is to expose our bare skin to sunlight. However, most of us do not get adequate amounts of the vitamin as we are not out in the sun long enough or because our use of sunscreens, clothes, windows or even smog gets in the way. The next best solution is to have supplements.

Make sure you are not vitamin D deficient as lack of it can cause the following problems:

1. Osteoporosis and Osteopenia, which leads to cavities, brittle nails and easy fractures

2. Muscle weakness, aches and pains

3. Depression, schizophrenia

4. Sleep disorders

5. Diabetes

6. Prostate, Breast and Colon cancers

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Sanctuary for Health and Reconnection to Animals
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Compiled & Edited by:

This newsletter is compiled by SHARAN Head of Mumbai, Reyna K Rupani. She facilitates the Six Weeks to Health Gain & Weight Loss program and also conducts health talks for schools, groups, corporates and more.

May 2025 | Issue: 244