Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to skin being exposed to sunlight and is hence known as the Sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is essential for strong bones as it helps the body use calcium from the diet. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to bone mineralization, leading to bone softening diseases as rickets in children and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults.

A data analysis of over 103563 samples between the age group of 0 & 80 years over five years from 2012 to 2016 revealed 1.20% of the total samples tested showed Vitamin D deficiency, 2.60% of samples tested show insufficient Vitamin D presence, age group of 10-20 years showed maximum insufficiency or deficiency of Vitamin D at over a staggering 88%.

Among the total samples received from women over 60% of the total samples showed insufficient Vitamin D with a major chunk in the age bracket of 40-50 years, 21% of the total samples showed Vitamin D deficiency, in the age groups of 0-10 years, almost 81% samples showed a lack of Vitamin D and in the age group of 10-20 years an alarmingly high 89.5% showed lack of Vitamin D.

Among the samples received from men, almost 65% were detected with insufficient Vitamin D, 18% of the total samples showed deficiency of Vitamin D, in the 0-10 years age bracket, 80% samples showed lack of Vitamin D while in the age bracket of 10-20 years, over 85% showed lack of Vitamin D.

Commenting on the analysis, Dr Rajesh Bendre, Chief of Laboratory Services, Metropolis Healthcare said ‘Majority of the population is not aware that they may be deficient to Vitamin D and symptoms such as fatigue and aches are ignored. Recent studies in India indicate that despite exposure to sunlight for 30 minutes, adequate levels of vitamin D is not synthesized in the body. One reason to this could be due to our ethnicity and dark complexions. There is a clear need for supplementing the diet. It is important to get tested for vitamin deficiencies and seek medical help to correct the deficiency.”

Additionally Dr. Anita Suryanarayan, Vice President, Operations (South India), Metropolis Healthcare Ltd said, “The cases of patients suffering from Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency have been steadily rising in India. Men, Women and Children are equally affected. A major contributing factor for this has been closed-door work life and the Indian lifestyle. Vitamin D is also found in certain foods which need to be included in the daily diets of the people. Foods high in Vitamin D are fish, beef liver, egg yolks. Vegetarians can consume almond milk, soy milk, orange juice, cereals and mushrooms. Our lifestyle doesn’t actively allow us to consume the right foods or give us time to get the daily dose of sunshine required by the body to create Vitamin D. Kids today do not play out in the sun as much as they do and this can easily result in a Vitamin D deficiency.”

Metropolis Healthcare Ltd is a global chain of pathology labs and diagnostic centers with over 150 labs and over 1500 health centers. Metropolis was founded by Dr. Sushil Shah (Chairman) in 1981. Metropolis has one of the largest test menu offering more than 4,500 varieties of tests. We are trusted by 2,00,000 doctors and cater to more than 20,000 laboratories, hospitals and nursing homes.

Metropolis processes 30 million tests a year and is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the gold standard in laboratory accreditation. With 3 decades of experience in delivering accurate reports and helping doctors make right diagnosis, Metropolis has earned the reputation of being amongst the most respected healthcare brands. Metropolis offers a comprehensive range of healthcare systems and services that include Clinical Trials, Hospital Lab Management, Home Health Services, Preventive Health Check-ups and Corporate & Wellness Solutions.