There is a deficiency of vitamin D among majority of people (both Omanis and expatriates), in the Sultanate of Oman. Lack of vitamin D can cause lot of issues including joint and muscle pain to heart attacks.
Doctors say almost 70 to 80 per cent of the population is vitamin D-deficient, and globally vitamin-D deficient cases have shot up to such a high that even those who go to work in the fields and outdoors are deficient of vitamin D.
According to a doctor practising with a private hospital, majority of the patients, mostly women, who approached him with similar symptoms were found to be vitamin D-deficient, and were advised to use both natural ways of getting vitamin D and medicines and food supplements.
“Recently, we examined around 500 cases mostly comprising Omanis and few expats with full body check-up including vitamin D levels. Surprisingly, we found majority of them were having insufficient vitamin D levels,” says Dr Muhammed Muneer, diabetologist at a medical centre.
Dr Manoj Nandlal Malvya, Head of Lifestyle Diseases at Khoula Hospital, adds that this issue is prevalent mainly due to non-utilisation of natural vitamin D sources.
“Lack of vitamin D is mostly because we are limiting ourselves to sun exposure which is mostly cultural and lifestyle-related. Another issue behind this is the geographical latitude in the sense that during winter, the angle of sunlight can be less effective for vitamin D synthesis, coupled by skin’s inability to produce vitamin D from sunlight,” he said, adding that obesity may be one of the factors as adipose tissue deposition can make it less bioavailable.
Yet other reasons for this seemingly harmless situation, but dangerous if left unattended are use of sunscreen, less intake of foods which are rich in vitamin D.
Dr Dilip Singhvi, specialist internal medicine at a private hospital, says that vitamin D deficiency is very much prevalent in Oman along with other GCC countries, and the reasons are related to people's dietary habits which do not include vitamin D rich cereals, dairy products, and the like.
“Secondly, inadequate exposure to sunlight, especially in Oman and GGC, due to the dressing styles, especially by women, who stay indoors and are always covered when outdoors, hampers the exposure to sunlight, thereby leading to vitamin D deficiency. Also, people having dark skin have higher melanin content in the skin which hamper absorption of UV rays, and vitamin D synthesis,” said Dr Singhvi.
Dr Muhammad Muneer opines that vitamin D deficiency can lead to various health issues, including rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults, and an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
The causes of vitamin D deficiency include insufficient dietary intake, limited sunlight exposure, certain medical conditions that impair vitamin D absorption or metabolism, and the use of some medications. People at higher risk include older adults, individuals with darker skin, those living in higher latitudes or areas with high air pollution, and people with certain health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and obesity.
Sun is the largest natural source of vitamin-D, and the best time for having 15-minute exposure to sun is between 10 am to 2 pm, which is very difficult in this part of the world due to hot weather most of the year. Hence, it is advisable to get maximum exposure during the winter months and increase intake of dairy products, cereals in diet.
Before self-medication, one should consult a doctor. Vitamin D tablets should be taken as per a doctor's prescription.
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