A BRIEF BASK IN THE SUN DOES YOU A LOT OF GOOD

Certain vitamins and minerals get a lot of good press [vitamin C for colds] while others, such as vitamin D, dont. Yet vitamin D is important for calcium absorption in the body [as is magnesium]. Before I get into the various benefits of vitamin D, Ill start with how you get it. Simple, just stand outside in the sun. While there are a number of food sources of vitamin D such as oily fish, egg yolk, liver, and milk, living in a country where we have sunshine almost throughout the year means that your body can make it on its own; in fact, its the only vitamin we can make ourselves. Vitamin D, or more accurately, vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol, is formed when the suns ultraviolet B [UVB] rays strike the skin. Just 10 to 15 minutes of exposure without sunscreen a few days a week is adequate. If youre worried about getting burned, make sure that its not between 10am and 4pm. With vitamin D so easy to get, youd think that deficiencies would be unheard of. Think again. In fact, in the UK, the incidence of rickets [vitamin D deficiency in children] is on the increase. It appears that kids are spending too much time indoors. Rickets lead to defective bone growth, which can result in knock-knees, bow legs, distorted ribs and weak teeth. In Kenya, I think its more likely to affect adults. The fact that vitamin D deficiency is more likely to affect those with darker complexions than lighter skins makes it worth going outside for a while [dark skins dont absorb as many ultraviolet rays as fair skin]. In adults, a vitamin D [coupled with calcium and phosphorus] deficiency leads to a condition called osteomalacia, where the bones become soft. This is usually accompanied by pain and tenderness and affects mainly the elderly, whose deposits of calcium in the bones decrease with age. Strong bones and teeth aside, it appears that older family members who spend enough time outside are also more likely to have better muscular strength as well as improved reaction times and balance. This is particularly important for the elderly since falls can have serious consequences. But it doesnt end there. Vitamin D also plays a vital role in strengthening the immune system. It appears that a healthy vitamin D status makes you more resistant to infections and is believed that it might even help prevent some types of cancer. Interestingly, vitamin D also has a role to play in type 2 diabetes: a study in 2010 tested a group of women of south-Asian descent who suffered from insulin resistance [a precursor of type 2 diabetes] and had low vitamin D levels. The results of this study strongly suggested that optimising vitamin D levels could help guard against type 2 diabetes. So the message is clear: get out in the sun or go for a 20-minute walk before 10am or after 4pm.