Vitamin D Deficiency: many people are complaining of back, muscle and bone pain, tiredness, hair loss, teeth problems, depression, and skin problems due to the lack of vitamin D.
Many of us have been working from home since the country had imposed lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. While working from home can benefit employers and employees in many ways, there are also several disadvantages of a remote job. Concerningly, doctors are seeing vitamin D deficiency in adults working from home amid the pandemic. Due to work from home, people are not getting enough sunlight exposure and have become deficient in Vitamin D. The sunlight coming from the windows is not sufficient to provide enough Vitamin D as the ultraviolet rays get filtered by the glass.
Dr. Keerthi Prakash Kotla, Consultant Pathologist, Apollo Diagnostics, Pune said, “Since people are getting used to the ‘New Normal,’ as it is imperative for everyone to stay at home to minimize the risk of Covid-19, many have encountered vitamin D deficiency. Many are complaining of back, muscle and bone pain, tiredness, inflammation, hair loss, bone loss, teeth problems, slow wound healing, depression, and skin problems due to the lack of this vitamin.”
“In a day, 7 out of 10 people who are tested are Vitamin D Deficient,” Dr. Kotla added.
Dr. Sanjay Nagarkar, General Physician Apollo Spectra Hospital, Pune, also noted that modernized lifestyles have resulted in less time spent outdoors for work or leisure, leading to vitamin D deficiency. People’s sunlight exposure has reduced further due to the lockdown he added.
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Importance of Vitamin D
Vitamin D, also called the sunshine vitamin, is essential for regulating calcium and phosphate in the body. Besides bone growth, vitamin D regulates cell growth, immune function, neuromuscular function, and suppresses inflammation. It prevents metabolic disorders, psychiatric and cardiovascular disorders, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis leading to bone fractures, obesity, and cancer. It is essential for everyone to get enough Vitamin D during these unprecedented times to maintain overall well-being.
“Vitamin D plays a prominent role in boosting up the immunity level which can help one to prevent catching the virus during their work from home and the coronavirus lockdown phase,” Dr. Kotla stated.
However, a 2019 pan-India study found that 70-90 percent of Indians are vitamin D deficient. It also showed that pregnant women in India have up to 84 percent Vitamin D deficiency, which also correlates with the level of Vitamin D deficiency in their newborns.
Get Vitamin D tests regularly
Dr. Kotla suggested getting Vitamin D tests to check if your body lacks the nutrient. “The 25-hydroxy vitamin D test can help your doctor check for vitamin D deficiency and bone health. It is a simple blood test done in most of the labs which give the serum Vitamin D levels.”
Vitamin D deficiency is seen equally in both genders of all ages. Adults present with symptoms like mood changes, fatigue, muscle and bone pains. In rare cases, severe lack of Vitamin D causes rickets which show up in children as incorrect growth patterns, weakness in muscles, pain in bones, and deformities in joints.
Avoid vitamin D deficiency during the work-from-home phase, the doctors suggested that we should eat include eggs, mushrooms, sardines, milk, tofu and other dairy products to your diet, expose the maximum part of your body under the sunlight during the mornings and evenings.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, and any excess stored in the body can be toxic. So, one should take supplements under the doctor’s supervision only, the doctors noted.
In addition, Dr. Nagarkar advised people to exercise daily like jogging and cycling to maintain a healthy weight while working from home.
Summary: Get regular Vitamin D tests to evaluate bone health, expose yourself to the sunlight in the morning for half-an-hour, eat vitamin-D rich foods, and take supplements as recommended by the doctor.
Also read: Vitamin D can shrink fibroid – study reveals
This post first appeared on The Health Site
