Watch the video here<\/a>When ultraviolet B (UVB) rays strike the skin, they trigger the production of cholecalciferol, an inactive form of vitamin D. The liver and kidneys then convert this compound into its active form as needed. \u201cThis is why sunlight remains the best and safest source of vitamin D, but timing is everything,\u201d he says.The doctor points out that one of the biggest misconceptions is that early morning sunlight is enough. \u201cFor vitamin D, the ideal exposure is when the sun is at its peak, generally between 10 am and 3 pm, under cloud-free skies. Sitting beside a sunny window doesn\u2019t help because glass blocks UVB rays.\u201dFortunately, since India is a tropical country, we don\u2019t need to expose more of our bodies for a bit of sun, unlike the West. \u201cSunshine on the face and arms for about half an hour daily is usually sufficient,\u201d he says.Food, however, can only do so much. Fatty fish such as salmon and cod liver contain vitamin D, while UV-exposed mushrooms offer a vegetarian alternative. Fortified milk also contributes, but none of these can meet the body\u2019s entire daily requirement. \u201cWe fortify foods to reduce severe deficiency, not to replace sunlight,\u201d explains Dr Goswami.<\/p>\nWhy being outdoors matters<\/p>\n
Dr Goswami\u2019s landmark research in the late 1990s challenged the belief that Indians could not possibly be vitamin D deficient. His team found that doctors working indoors had surprisingly low vitamin D levels, while traffic police, hawkers and street vendors \u2014 people who spent hours outdoors \u2014 had adequate levels without supplements.\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the food,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was sunlight.\u201dThe research also highlighted that while higher melanin levels in Indian skin protect against intense sunlight, it also slows down vitamin D synthesis. So, those with darker skin need significantly longer sun exposure than lighter-skinned populations to produce equivalent amounts of vitamin D. For most healthy people though, sensible sun exposure remains the most effective source.Supplements do play an important role, but Goswami cautions against self-medication. \u201cInjectable vitamin D should generally be avoided unless there is a genuine absorption problem,\u201d he says, noting that large doses can raise calcium levels excessively, increasing the risk of kidney stones and kidney calcification.He also advises against routinely taking active forms of vitamin D or expensive nano formulations: \u201cFor most people, standard vitamin D works perfectly well. More is not always better. And supplements should be taken under medical guidance, not as a shortcut to good health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other talking points<\/p>\n
How parathyroid hormone acts as a vitamin D boostWhy prolonged deficiency can weaken bones despite normal calcium levelsWho is most at risk? Indoor workers, older adults and those on medicationListen to the full podcast on vitamin D here: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We live in a country blessed with abundant sunshine. Despite that, vitamin D deficiency continues to affect millions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[279586,49,48,132247,279584,84,279582,279585,279583,395,128508,279581,225282,56470],"class_list":["post-792151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-benefits-of-outdoor-exposure","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-dietary-sources-of-vitamin-d","tag-dr-ravinder-goswami","tag-health","tag-health-benefits-of-vitamin-d","tag-importance-of-sunlight-for-health","tag-indian-skin-and-vitamin-d","tag-nutrition","tag-sunshine-vitamin","tag-uvb-rays-and-vitamin-d","tag-vitamin-d-deficiency-in-india","tag-vitamin-d-supplements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/vitamin-d.jpg\")
We live in a country blessed with abundant sunshine. Despite that, vitamin D deficiency continues to affect millions of Indians. Dr Ravinder Goswami, endocrinologist and professor at AIIMS Delhi and recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, tells TOI why this paradox exists, who are most at risk, and why supplements should never be taken casually.He says vitamin D, often called the \u201csunshine vitamin\u201d, is far more than just a nutrient for healthy bones. \u201cWithout the skeletal system, we cannot even stand. Vitamin D is essential because it helps the gut absorb calcium, and calcium is involved in thousands of functions \u2014 from muscle contraction and gut motility to reproduction.\u201d<\/p>\n