BY HISSA ALSUDAIRY, MSc, RDN
Get your daily dose of the sunshine vitamin! Riyadh is known as the sun city.
We have lots of sunshine around but coupled with the sun rays is the heat (too much heat) that we always retreat to our wonderful, comfortable air-conditioned world indoors. It’s no wonder why most of us lack Vitamin D. Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, is an integral part for good health. It’s a vitamin produced in the skin in response to sunlight. Unfortunately, because most of us spend our days indoors, Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most prevalent in Saudi Arabia. According to recent review studies, approximately 81% of the population in the Kingdom suffer from low and deficient levels of Vitamin D. This is more apparent among females and in younger age groups. There are a lot of reasonable causes for the low vitamin D levels in the Kingdom namely traditional clothes, deliberate avoidance of the sun, use of sunscreen, darker pigmented skin, obesity, extremely low fat diets and inadequate dietary intake.
Vitamin D is responsible for several integral bodily functions including promoting calcium absorption, maintaining normal calcium and phosphate levels, promoting bone and cell growth, reducing inflammation and immune regulation. Deficiency of this vitamin poses several health risks if ignored. Vitamin D deficiency shares responsibility in the possible onset for the following health complications and diseases: autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, heart disease, colon cancer, flu and common colds, tuberculosis, insulin resistance and depression. This can easily be prevented however with better changes to our daily diet and lifestyle.
Getting annual tests is highly recommended with your normal physical checkup. Signs that indicate low levels of Vitamin D include bone pain, frequent bone fractures, muscle weakness, and unexplained fatigue. There are other symptoms that are ignored and it would be beneficial to have them checked.
Vitamin D deficiency for Riyadh residents can be avoided if we put more attention to the food we consume. This vitamin is found naturally in foods and fortified among commonly consumed products. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin therefore fat must be present to be absorbed. Consume healthy fat foods such as olive oil, nuts, and seeds when eating Vitamin D-rich food like mackerel, tuna, salmon, cheese, egg yolks, fish liver oils, and mushrooms. Apart from eating Vitamin D-rich food, maintaining healthy vitamin D levels can be achieved by including a vitamin D supplement and of course, exposing yourself to some good sunshine daily for 15 minutes. The best times for optimal UVB sunshine in Riyadh is 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM during the summer and 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM during winter.
The daily recommendations for Vitamin D vary among age, weight, and current vitamin D levels.
Infants: 400 IU
Children & Adults: 600 IU
Elderly (70 years and older): 800 IU
If severely deficient: 1,000 IU
Do not exceed 4,000 IU without consulting with your physician.
So next time you’re out and about, embrace the sun for a few minutes to avoid “D-ficiency”!
About the Author: Hissa Alsudairy is the Chief Clinical Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist at the Alkaff Clinics in An Nuzhah, Saudi Arabia. For more information, visit her Instagram at @dietitician_gcc & @alkaffclinics.
