Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin and Why It’s Essential for Indians

Vitamin D, often called the “sunshine vitamin,” is a fat-soluble vitamin that our bodies can produce when the skin is exposed to sunlight​. It plays a crucial role in maintaining health. Vitamin D enables the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from our diet, which is vital for building and preserving strong bones and teeth​. It also supports muscle function, helps nerves transmit messages, and bolsters the immune system. In essence, this vitamin acts more like a hormone in the body, affecting many organs and systems. Despite India’s plentiful sunshine, vitamin D deficiency is surprisingly common – studies in India have found that 80–90% of people have inadequate levels​. This makes it especially important to understand vitamin D’s benefits, how to get enough of it, and the risks of not having enough.

Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is involved in many aspects of health. Here are some of its key benefits and why you need sufficient vitamin D:

• Bone Health: Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, the main mineral needed for bone formation​. Getting enough vitamin D (along with calcium) prevents soft, brittle bones. It is essential for children’s bone development and helps adults avoid osteoporosis (weak, fragile bones) later in life​.
• Immune Function: This vitamin plays a role in keeping your immune system strong. Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties that support immune health​. Adequate levels help your body fend off invading bacteria and viruses – low vitamin D is associated with a higher risk of infections and immune-related disorders.
• Cardiovascular Health: Vitamin D is important for a healthy heart and blood pressure regulation​. Some research suggests that sufficient vitamin D may be linked to a lower risk of heart disease and high blood pressure​. It supports the function of blood vessels and may help reduce inflammation, which benefits overall cardiovascular health.
• Mental Well-Being: Vitamin D is also involved in brain function and mood regulation. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to mood disorders like depression. Many people report improved mood and cognitive function when a vitamin D deficiency is corrected. While research is ongoing, it’s clear that vitamin D is important for mental well-being and possibly helps reduce the risk of depression​.
• Other Benefits: Every cell in our body has vitamin D receptors, which is a clue to its wide-ranging effects. Vitamin D supports muscle strength (helping to prevent falls in older adults) and has antioxidant properties that protect nerve cells​. It may also play a role in reducing inflammation. Ongoing studies are examining vitamin D’s links to conditions like diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and certain cancers – highlighting how broadly it impacts health.

Symptoms and Risks of Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency means you don’t have enough vitamin D to keep your body functioning optimally. Unfortunately, this condition is extremely common in India​. It often goes unnoticed because the initial symptoms can be subtle. Here’s what to watch out for and why long-term deficiency is harmful:

Common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include:​

• Fatigue and tiredness: Low energy levels or a general sense of fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest.
• Bone and back pain: Vitamin D deficiency can cause diffuse bone pain or tenderness, often felt as lower back pain or aching bones.
• Muscle weakness or cramps: You might experience weak muscles, muscle aches, or cramps (for example, difficulty climbing stairs or getting up from the floor) due to low vitamin D​.
• Mood changes: Some people suffer mood swings, increased anxiety, or symptoms of depression linked to vitamin D deficiency​.

It’s important to note: Many adults with low vitamin D may have no obvious symptoms​. Often, people realize they are deficient only after a blood test or when deficiency has persisted for a long time.

Risks of long-term vitamin D deficiency

If vitamin D levels remain low for months or years, it can lead to serious health issues:

• Bone disorders: In children, a severe deficiency causes rickets, a disease characterized by soft, weakened, and deformed bones​. In adults, it causes osteomalacia, a condition of softened bones that leads to bone pain and muscle weakness​. Over time, inadequate vitamin D (and calcium) intake also contributes to osteoporosis, where bones become porous and fracture-prone​.
• Frequent illnesses: Vitamin D is crucial for immune defense. Chronically low levels can mean a higher susceptibility to infections like colds and flu. In fact, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risk of respiratory infections and even tuberculosis in India​.
• Muscle and joint problems: Ongoing deficiency can cause chronic muscle aches and joint pains. Muscle weakness from low vitamin D can increase the risk of falls, especially in the elderly.
• Chronic disease risk: Researchers are studying links between vitamin D deficiency and various chronic diseases. Low vitamin D has been implicated as a potential factor in conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, and autoimmune disorders​. While more research is needed, there is concern that long-term deficiency may contribute to illnesses like heart disease or diabetes.

In summary, not getting enough vitamin D over the long term can compromise your quality of life and health. If you notice symptoms of deficiency or are in a high-risk group (for example, someone who avoids sun exposure or has a very limited diet), it’s wise to get your vitamin D level checked by a healthcare provider.

Vitamin D-Rich Foods Available in India

Aside from sunlight, you can obtain vitamin D from certain foods. However, relatively few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and many typical Indian diets may not provide enough of it​. Including vitamin D-rich foods in your meals is especially important for people who have limited sun exposure or are vegetarians. Below is a list of foods available in India that are good sources of vitamin D, along with their approximate vitamin D content:

A few notes on these sources:

• Animal-based sources: Fatty fish are among the best natural sources of vitamin D. In coastal and riverine parts of India, fish like rohu and hilsa (used in curries) are not only delicious but also provide a decent amount of vitamin D​. Egg yolks are another convenient source – each yolk provides some vitamin D along with protein and healthy fats​. Dairy products by themselves contain only small amounts of vitamin D (for example, ghee has a little vitamin D​), but many modern dairy products are fortified with vitamin D. Fortified milk and curd can significantly boost your intake, as shown above. Including eggs, fish, and dairy in your diet can help improve your vitamin D levels.
• Plant-based sources: For vegetarians and vegans, options are limited. Mushrooms are a notable plant-based source. When exposed to sunlight, mushrooms (like button, oyster, or shiitake) produce vitamin D naturally, similar to how our skin does​. Sun-dried mushrooms or UV-exposed mushrooms can provide a substantial amount of vitamin D (as high as 200–400 IU per 100g as shown above). Try incorporating mushrooms into dishes – for example, mushroom curry, stir-fries, or mushroom soup. Aside from mushrooms, most plant foods have almost no vitamin D unless they are fortified. Some brands of fortified foods – such as breakfast cereals, plant-based milk (soy milk, almond milk), and orange juice – add vitamin D during manufacturing (check labels for “fortified with vitamin D”). These can be useful for those on vegetarian diets.
• Traditional Indian foods: Traditional Indian cuisine doesn’t feature many vitamin D–rich ingredients because most vitamin D–rich foods are animal-based. Historically, people in India met their vitamin D needs mostly through sun exposure. That said, certain traditional foods do contribute some vitamin D. For example, fish preparations (like grilled fish, fish curry) in fish-eating communities provide vitamin D naturally​. Ghee, a staple in Indian cooking, contains a small amount of vitamin D​ (though one would have to consume a lot of ghee to meet daily needs, which isn’t advisable for other health reasons). In recent times, fortification has become a strategy to combat deficiency – e.g., fortified curd and fortified milk are now available in India​​, and even some brands of edible oils are fortified with vitamin D. Including a mix of these traditional and fortified foods can help improve vitamin D intake, especially for those who get little sun.

Tip: Because diet alone often isn’t enough to reach optimal vitamin D levels (our Indian diet generally doesn’t provide the full 600–800 IU needed daily​), try to combine a good diet with sensible sun exposure. In the next section, we discuss how sunlight can naturally give you a vitamin D boost.

Sunlight as a Natural Source of Vitamin D

Figure: The body can produce Vitamin D in the skin upon exposure to UVB sunlight. The vitamin D made in the skin then gets activated in the liver and kidneys to a form that the body can use.

Sunlight is the most natural and potent source of vitamin D for humans. When the UVB rays in sunlight hit our skin, a chemical in the skin (7-dehydrocholesterol) is converted into vitamin D₃. This freshly made vitamin D₃ is then processed by the liver and kidneys into an active form that the body can use【21†source】. In fact, under ideal conditions, up to 80–90% of our vitamin D requirement can be fulfilled by sunlight exposure​. For many Indians, who may not get enough vitamin D from diet alone, regular sunlight exposure is key to maintaining healthy levels.

Best time for sun exposure in India: The ability of sunlight to trigger vitamin D production depends on the sun’s angle. Midday sunlight is the strongest in UVB rays. Research in India has shown that around mid-morning to early afternoon (roughly 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) is the most effective time for vitamin D synthesis from the sun​. Sun exposure during these hours, when the sun is high, produces significantly more vitamin D in the skin than morning or late afternoon exposure. By contrast, early morning or late evening sun won’t do much for vitamin D – for example, 7 a.m. sunshine is too weak in UVB (because of the atmosphere’s filtering at low sun angles) to produce vitamin D​. So, a short break in the sun around midday a few times a week can be very beneficial.

How much sun do you need?

This varies based on skin type and location, but a general guideline often suggested by experts is about 15–30 minutes of midday sun exposure on bare face, arms, and legs (without sunscreen) several times a week. Lighter-skinned individuals might need the lower end of that range, while darker-skinned individuals may need toward the higher end. India’s geography (being close to the equator in many parts) means the sun is strong, but factors like latitude, season, and altitude can influence UV intensity. In northern India during winter, for instance, you might need slightly longer exposure compared to summer. Always avoid getting a sunburn – you just need moderate exposure, not excessive. If you plan to be outside longer than a brief period, apply sunscreen after those first 15-20 minutes to protect your skin from UV damage.

Factors affecting vitamin D synthesis: It’s important to understand that not everyone will make vitamin D at the same rate. Several factors can reduce the skin’s production of vitamin D:

• Skin pigmentation: Melanin, the pigment in darker skin, acts as a natural sunscreen. Indians often have medium to dark skin tones, which means we synthesize vitamin D more slowly than people with very fair skin​. This is why even in sunny climates, people with dark skin can be vitamin D deficient.
• Age: The ability to produce vitamin D in the skin declines with age. Elderly people generate much less vitamin D than younger people with the same sun exposure​.
• Sunscreen and clothing: Sunscreen with high SPF, while crucial for preventing skin damage, can block a significant amount of UVB and thus reduce vitamin D production. Similarly, wearing full-sleeve clothing, long pants, or covering most of the body (for cultural or other reasons) will limit the skin area available for making vitamin D​. For example, someone who always goes out fully covered or veiled might not produce enough vitamin D even if they are outdoors regularly.
• Geography and pollution: In India, people living in northern latitudes (e.g. Jammu & Kashmir) receive less UVB in winter months than those in the south (e.g. Tamil Nadu). Additionally, air pollution and smog (a concern in many Indian cities) can block UVB rays​. Cloud cover and indoor living (sunlight through a glass window does not generate vitamin D, as glass blocks UVB​) further reduce effective sun exposure.

Bottom line: To use sunlight for your vitamin D, get regular exposure around midday while being mindful of the above factors. If you have very dark skin or live in a polluted urban area, you may need a bit more sun. Balance is key – avoid sunburn and long-term skin damage, but do try to get some direct sun on your skin frequently. Even a daily 15-minute walk in the noon sun can make a big difference over time. And remember, if you must avoid the sun or cover up for medical or personal reasons, you’ll need to compensate more with diet and supplements to keep your vitamin D levels up.

Vitamin D Supplementation

Sunshine and diet are not always enough to maintain optimal vitamin D levels, especially for those who are deficient or at high risk of deficiency. Vitamin D supplements are a safe and effective way to boost your levels when needed. Here’s what you should know about supplementing with vitamin D:

• When to consider supplements: If you have confirmed vitamin D deficiency (via a blood test) or fall in a high-risk group, supplements may be recommended. High-risk groups include people who get little sun (for example, office workers who stay indoors, or those who always use sun protection), individuals with darker skin, the elderly, and those with certain medical conditions that impair vitamin D absorption. In India, given the high prevalence of deficiency, many adults may benefit from taking a vitamin D supplement, especially in winter or if dietary intake and sun exposure are low. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are often advised to ensure adequate vitamin D, and doctors may prescribe supplements for them. Always talk to a healthcare provider for personalized advice, but in general, if your lifestyle or diet doesn’t provide enough vitamin D, supplementation is a wise consideration.
• Recommended dosage: The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D for most adults is 600 IU per day (15 micrograms), and 800 IU per day (20 micrograms) for older adults (over 70 years)​. These are general guidelines for maintaining health and preventing deficiency. In India, many multivitamin tablets or specific vitamin D supplements provide around 400–1000 IU per dose. Your doctor might advise a higher dosage for a short period if you are deficient – commonly, in India, doctors prescribe high-dose vitamin D sachets (around 60,000 IU) to be taken once weekly for 6–8 weeks to correct a deficiency, followed by a maintenance dose. It’s important to follow the recommended dose and not to megadose on vitamin D arbitrarily, because more is not necessarily better (see precautions below).
• Choosing a supplement (D2 vs D3): Vitamin D supplements come in two forms – D₂ (ergocalciferol) and D₃ (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D₃ is the same form your skin makes from sunlight, and studies have found that D₃ tends to raise blood levels of vitamin D more effectively than D₂​. Most over-the-counter vitamin D supplements in India (and globally) are D

Vitamin D is crucial for bone strength, immunity, and overall well-being. Don’t let deficiency affect your health—get tested and take action today! For expert guidance, call us at 8080808069.