Vitamin D deficiency high among people in South; exposure to sunlight is must

Hyderabad: Vitamin D deficiency is high among those in the age-group of 18–30, notes a study published in the International Journal of Research in Orthopaedics. Some 77 per cent of the 4,624 individuals studied showed the deficiency.

In the south, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was as high as 81.2 per cent.

Senior orthopaedic, Dr Uday G. Reddy, said, “People in the south spend more time indoors. Exposure to sunlight is limited and hence the vitamin D deficiency. With work cultures changing, more people are live in AC rooms, sit all the time and rarely go outside of the homes.”

Vitamin D is plays an important role in muscle and bone health. Dr Sanjiv Goel, senior orthopaedic and main researcher for the study, noted: “This is a silent epidemic. Lack of vitamin D increases risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension etc and makes people frail. In children, the deficiency leads to rickets.”

Production of vitamin D requires exposure of maximum or full body to sunlight. Despite plentiful sunshine in India, the deficiency is rampant.