KOCHI: With Covid drastically affecting daily routine, people have been largely left confined indoors over the past year and a half. The work from home culture has deprived most of us of the little joys of life — sunlight and wind. Irregular eating habits and lack of exercise have added to the crisis. Over the past few months, doctors have been observing a steady increase in the number of Vitamin D deficiency cases. Vitamin D, the happy hormone, is vital for the functioning of muscles and bones, and also keeps major organs of the body running efficiently. Studies have concluded that Vitamin D deficiency is closely associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, bone metabolic disorders, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, cancers, and other infections.
“Over the past few months, we have observed that people working from home are suffering from low levels of Vitamin D. Over 80 per cent of the human body’s requirement of Vitamin D comes from ultraviolet rays of the sun. During the pandemic, when people started staying indoors and work from home became the new norm, the availability of sunlight dropped drastically. Though nothing conclusive has been found yet, an increasing range of health issues, including cardio and orthopaedic diseases, are partially atleast considered to be linked to Vitamin D deficiency,” said Dr Monu Varghese, a pulmonologist based in Kochi.
In 2019, a study found that 70-90 percent of the population in India, including pregnant women, were Vitamin D deficient. “Though it may not seem to be a severe problem that one is not getting exposed to sunlight, it can lead to series of health issues later in life. Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with depression — the vitamin is known as the ‘happy hormone’ that keeps all the parts of the body happy. It plays an important role in the immunology of the person. Symptoms such as tiredness, fatigue, muscle and bone pain are all indicators of vitamin D deficiency. By following a healthy diet and exercise, the body’s need for this vital Vitamin can be fulfilled,” said Dr George Mathew, general medicine physician based in Alappuzha.
How to avoid deficiency