Natural sunshine: Potent-free Vitamin D

My friend who has lived abroad since her youthful days has for nearly six years now, always found solace to come home and spend some months here once the cold season dawns on them in the Northern Hemisphere.

Since COVID-19, she has found it necessary to even spend more time in Ghana than she used to.  It was in a chat only recently that she told me her doctor confirmed to her that her six months in the sun every year was a good health decision she had taken.

I deduced from the conversation that we have an abundance of natural and health-related resources, including some twelve hours of sunshine, every day for 365 days.  Unfortunately, many of us overlook such health opportunities despite their critical roles in our well-being.

Research report

I was stirred last week as I read a scientific research report which confirmed to me the potency of the free sunlight one is blessed with here in our part of the world.

Research findings published in October this year in the Journal of Science and Technology have endorsed the health benefits of sunlight, especially for older people.  

The study, based on blood analyses of 125 older adults aged 55 years and above who attended the KNUST Hospital in Kumasi, was carried out over a period to determine Vitamin D concentrations.  

This was coupled with structured questionnaires to evaluate sunlight exposures as well as the dietary habits of those sampled.

The study also measured the body composition of the participants.

According to the findings published in the journal, as high as 70 per cent of those sampled were deficient in Vitamin D while only six per cent of the sampled group were said to be properly exposed to sunlight, a factor said to be crucial to the natural production of Vitamin D.

Vitamin D

The study further showed that only 22.3 per cent of those sampled regularly consumed foods rich in Vitamin D, a super vitamin said to help regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in one’s body. 

These nutrients, per my search, are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy while the lack of the vitamin can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, bone pain and osteoporosis in adults.

Adequate intake of Vitamin D is said to have many potential benefits in the body including reduction of inflammation, regulating mood, reducing depression