A trend of deficiency in Vitamin D among women in the city has been brought to light by a recent study.
A trend of deficiency in Vitamin D among women in the city has been brought to light by a recent study. A report released on Monday by Metropolis Healthcare, a diagnostic chain shows that 79 per cent of the total 11,000 surveyed women suffer from deficiency and insufficiency of Vitamin D.
The survey was done over the past six months and its findings were released on Monday.
As per the findings, 28 per cent of the surveyed women reported deficiency of Vitamin D and 51 per cent reported insufficiency. The study said deficiency of Vitamin D was more severe than insufficiency.
Experts said lack of enough Vitamin D in a woman’s body can have severe health effects. It can not only weaken the bones but also increases the risk of developing breast cancer. Lack of Vitamin D can also lead to inability to form normal mature eggs, which can cause infertility, they said.
“Previously, it was perceived that lack of Vitamin D only affects the bones but now, we are discovering a co-relation between infertility and Vitamin D,” said Dr Rishma Pai, gynaecologist and consultant obstetrician from Lilavati and Jaslok Hospital.
“Deficiency of Vitamin D is extremely common among women. This deters the maturity of eggs and thus women fail to form eggs every month. It can indirectly manifest in the formation of polycystic ovarian cysts. All these symptoms are indirectly related to infertility,” she said.
Medical experts blame lack of exposure to sunlight as the main reason behind the growing trend. “Sunlight is the direct source of Vitamin D among human beings. But mostly women work within closed doors where exposure to sunlight is limited,” said Dr Prakash Patil, gynaecologist.
According to The American Journal of Clinical Research, proper intake of Vitamin D decreases the risk of breast cancer by 50 per cent.
“Women need to get involved in physical exercises like swimming or running. In fact, exposure to sunlight for 15 minutes can help in balancing the amount of Vitamin D in the body,” said Dr Sonali Kolte from the pathology chain.
