Researchers from IIT Bombay used LISS IV satellite imagery to map the Land use land cover changes to the Mumbai and Palghar mangroves and wetland areas.

Infants should sunbath for 30 minutes in a week, recommends study

12 Sep 2017

It was a routine practice in India to give infants a sunbath. But now, many kids remain indoors for a major part of their day, owing to a changing lifestyle. A recent study from Delhi has recommended that infants must be given a sunbath for 30 minutes in a week to attain sufficient levels of vitamin D, that is, 20 nanograms per ml. More than 50% of the Indian population is vitamin D deficient, according to some studies, which is a health concern especially for infants. This is because its deficiency leads to rickets, a malformation of leg bones. Insufficient levels of vitamin D also cause lethargy, irritability, and a predisposition to infections. But nearly 90% of the requirement of vitamin D can be met from sunlight. Doctors at the University College of Medicine Sciences, New Delhi enrolled 100 infants and asked their mothers to give them a sunbath every day starting 6 weeks of age. Mothers were asked to record the time, duration, and the body area exposed during sunbath. The doctors reaffirmed that sunbath increases the levels of vitamin D and estimated that exposing infants to 30 minutes of sunlight per week for 16-18 weeks can bring their vitamin D levels to normal. The sunbath has to be given between 10 AM and 3 PM with 40% of the infant’s body surface exposed, which can be achieved when the baby is wearing a diaper. Doctors excluded mothers who were on vitamin D supplements, and adjusted for the infant’s skin color, and season of sunbath as these factors could also potentially influence the findings. The doctors are now planning further studies with a larger group of infants to test this method as a therapy. This finding can benefit over 16 million babies, born each year in India.