RAYS OF HOPE: ‘Sunlight vitamin’ helps check diabetes: Expert

RAYS OF HOPE
‘Sunlight vitamin’ helps check diabetes: Expert
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 9
Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise and stress have been contributing tremendously to the rise in diseases like diabetes mellitus in Jammu and Kashmir, which has recorded over 15 per cent diabetes prevalence.

“The latest scientific evidence suggests that staying indoors and remaining confined to air-conditioned rooms are aggravating the risk of getting diabetes and deteriorating the level of existing diabetes,” says Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also an author.

Dr Singh says vitamin D, also called sunshine vitamin, is primarily provided by the sunlight and is not only essential for the strength and well-being of bones but also plays a vital role in the metabolism of glucose and maintenance of blood sugar levels in the body.

Dr Singh explains that while in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus, sufficient amount of vitamin D helps in improving insulin sensitivity. Similarly, in type 1 diabetes, it helps by acting as an immunomodulator, he adds.

“Even in pregnancy, the deficiency of vitamin D can lead to increase in the risk of gestational diabetes as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes,” he maintains, adding that the deficiency of vitamin D also increases the risk of diabetic complications on heart, kidneys and other parts of the body.

Informing about the common causes of vitamin D deficiency, he says in modern times, less sun exposure, changing lifestyle and diet, staying mostly indoors, formal dress codes, certain medicines and drugs are the major reasons behind it. To overcome this problem, he recommends the use of vitamin D supplement tablets and sachets wherever required.