Delhi Schools Adopt 'Project Dhoop'; Noon Assembly to Help Increase Absorption of Vitamin D Among Students
The change in the school assembly was made as researchers suggested that 20 minutes of sunlight exposure between 11 am to 1 pm can produce five times more Vitamin D in the skin as compared to morning hours.
Delhi schools have come together and shifted their morning assembly around noon-time so as to ensure maximum absorption of Vitamin D. The move is Food safety regulator FSSAI's initiative 'Project Dhoop' so that students get enough natural sunlight after reports suggested most Delhiites suffer from Vitamin D deficiency.
According to a DD News report, more than 35 thousand students from over 40 schools have received over 700 thousand sun minutes. The report also said that schools in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand are adopting the method.
The change in the school assembly was made as researchers suggested that 20 minutes of sunlight exposure between 11 am to 1 pm can produce five times more Vitamin D in the skin as compared to morning hours. The Noon Assembly has been seeing increasing participation since its launch on April 9.
According to a report in The Times of India, the time period between 11 am and 1 pm is the best to soak in some sunlight for essential vitamin D. Reportedly, during the time period, the wavelength of ultraviolet B (UVB) rays is 290-320nm which is essential for skin to make vitamin D.
An ASSOCHAM Healthcare Committee report had earlier revealed that around 88 percent of Delhi's people suffer from Vitamin D deficiency. It said that in Delhi about 8 in 10 people suffer from Vitamin D deficiency which causes chronic muscle pain, spasms, low energy levels and depression.
Dr H K Chopra, Co-Chairman of the ASSOCHAM Healthcare Council had said that Vitamin D deficiency can lead to bone mineralisation resulting in bone softening diseases as rickets in children and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults. Supplementation or basic changes in lifestyle can bring the desired results. According to the report, the cases of patients suffering from Vitamin D deficiency have been steadily rising in India with, men, women and children being equally affected.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 08, 2018 10:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).