Prevalence of (25) Vitamin - D Deficiency among Premenopausal Women Working In Fayoum University
Life Science Journal 2012;9(4)
Mohamed Mashahit1, Haidy Michel 1 *, Emad El Moatasem 2 Mohamed El Basel2 and Nagwa k. Roshdy3
department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Fayoum University 2Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,Cairo University 3Department of Medical Bio-chemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine Cairo University mashahit at hotmail.com
Vitamin - D deficiency is a worldwide problem and the prevalence of deficiency reaches more than 50% of the population in most of the studies and causes of deficiency are either inadequate intake of food containing vitamin - D or inadequate exposure to sun light which plays an important role of biosynthesis of vitamin- D from the skin, vitamin -D deficiency is linked to many diseases like cancer, diabetes, bone disorders, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia and many other disorders and correction of 25 -vitamin - D deficiency which is very simple and available and not expensive improves those disorders significantly.
This work aimed to screening for vitamin 25- D deficiency among premenopausal women working in Fayoum University.
Subjects and methods: two hundred healthy premenopausal non pregnant non lactating females aged 40-50 years old working at Fayoum University, subjected to thorough medical history and clinical examination, stressing on color of the skin BMI and style of clothing and all patients are screened for 25- vitamin D using ELISA.
Results: Our results showed that 45 females of 200 were sufficient (22.5%), 91 females were insufficient (45.5%), 64 females were deficient (32%). Vitamin D deficient females subdivided into deficient (82.8%) and severely deficient (17.2%). there was significant difference between the mean of vitamin -D in the different BMI, in normal body weight subjects the mean of vitamin D level was 77.9 ± 21.7 in overweight was 51.4 ± 15.5 in obese (40 ± 22.4) and the difference is highly statistically significant (p < 0.001). The mean vitamin -D level for
- western wearing clothes was 66.8 ± 16.4, for ladies wearing
- Higab was 62 ± 23.2), and for ladies wearing
- Niqab 28.3 ± 16.3
and the difference is highly statistically significant (p < 0.001).
The mean of vitamin D level in dark skinned subjects was 57.2 ± 21.2 while in white skinned subjects was 96.2 ± 33.8 and the difference is highly statistically significant (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: More than 75 % of the premenopausal women working in Fayoum University had either vitamin -D deficiency or insufficiency. obesity, darker skin and insufficient sun exposure are the main factors leading to or associated with 25 - vitamin - D deficiency
Note 1 Interesting that the authors mislabled the above chart with a 40
The text clearly states that the results was 28. Were they too embarrassed?
Note 2 Even the highest vitamin D level (Western) = 27 ng is < 30 ng recommended by most groups around the world.
Hajab prevalence: Wikipedia
PDF is attached at the bottom of this page
See also Vitamin D Life
- Overview Middle East Vitamin D
- Vitamin D levels in the Middle East: very low, especially in summer – June 2012
- Concealing Clothing in Canada: half the level of vitamin D in blood – May 2012
- 70 % of Saudi women were extremely vitamin D deficient, but only 40 pcnt of men – March 2012
- Concealing clothing resulted in only 8 ng vitamin D – Feb 2011 in France
- Middle East women have low vitamin D levels, almost independent of dress style – Dec 2012