07:00 ص
Wednesday 01 June 2022
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Vitamin D deficiency is a common health problem around the world, at a time when more links between this important vitamin and many chronic diseases are constantly being recognized and studied, but making up for the deficiency is not always an easy issue that can be solved by taking supplements or spending some time under Sunlight, according to a specialist doctor from the global health care system Cleveland Clinic.
The benefits of vitamin D to the human body are only recently recognized, said Dr. Susan Williams, MD, a physician in the Endocrinology and Metabolism Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, although the harmful effect of insufficient exposure to sunlight in childhood has not been hidden for centuries. Studies have increasingly linked vitamin D deficiency with the occurrence of various chronic diseases, while other studies have proven a positive link between good levels of this vitamin and the optimal functioning of the immune and nervous systems.
Dr. Williams noted that foods rich in vitamin D provide only a small percentage of the recommended daily need for this vitamin, with the rest coming from the sun or supplements.
Causes of deficiency
Limited exposure to the sun, whether as a result of bad weather or the prevention of skin cancer, is a common cause of vitamin D deficiency, but there are other causes that include dark skin color, advanced age, obesity, gastric bypass surgery, and some digestive diseases, Which leads to malabsorption, and vitamin D deficiency can occur in infants as a result of restricting their feeding to breastfeeding and keeping them away from other sources of the vitamin.
The level of vitamin D in the body can be measured by a blood test, and there are two factors to consider if supplementation is necessary.
Two types of supplements
Dr. Williams explained that there are two types of vitamin D supplements; Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. While both types raise vitamin D levels, recent studies have indicated that vitamin D3 has a stronger effect over time.
The way you take supplements is also important; Studies have indicated that supplementation is most effective when taken with a meal containing at least 15 grams of fat and taken with the largest daily meal will enhance absorption.
Vitamin D poisoning
The metabolic doctor stressed the need to adhere to the doses prescribed by the doctor of supplements, otherwise patients are at risk of vitamin D poisoning, noting that some patients may not respond to vitamin D supplements; Because they suffer from absorption problems, including those with Crohn’s disease, who have had bariatric surgery related to absorption, and those with digestive disorder, cystic fibrosis, steatorrhea, short bowel disease, enteritis, and acute cholestasis.
The absorption problem can be confirmed by blood tests, by comparing the levels of vitamin D in a blood sample taken immediately before giving an oral dose of vitamin D, and the sample taken 12 to 24 hours after the dose. If malabsorption is confirmed, phototherapy, which includes accurate skin type identification and carefully considered exposure to ultraviolet B rays, can be used to increase vitamin levels.
Tanning bed warning
Dr. Williams cautioned patients against trying to increase their vitamin D levels by using a tanning bed or spending hours in the sun, describing these methods as “often not effective and risking skin damage and skin cancer.”
She added: “For the synthesis of vitamin D, we need ultraviolet B rays, but the percentage of this type in the ultraviolet rays found in sunlight does not exceed five percent.
Ultraviolet A rays are the largest or only light source used in tanning beds, and the dose of UV A rays in those beds can reach 12 times that of sunlight. Both types of rays, however, have a role In skin cancers, however, UVA rays are thought to damage the skin and increase the risk of cancer by causing DNA damage from oxidative stress, and type B damage is more direct in the light products implicated in skin carcinogenesis. .
Dr. Williams concluded that skin type and a person’s age affect the response to exposure to ultraviolet rays, but in general, exposing 5 percent of the body’s surface twice a week for 20 minutes in warm months is equivalent to getting 430 international units of vitamin D per day, Stressing the need to adhere to the maximum time, which is 20 minutes; Due to the dangers associated with increased exposure to sunlight.