Phones to blame? Youth under 20 most deficient in Vitamin D

GURUGRAM: Shreya Sharma (30), a software engineer, was suffering from muscle ache and restlessness from past six months. She was in for shock after she got a blood test done. Her reports pointed out that she had Vitamin D deficiency. Doctors claim that one out of 10 people in our country, suffer from Vitamin D deficiency and the cases see a rise during winters.
Dr Prerak Yadav Conducted a study on 7,448 patients at Artemis hospital in Gurugram and the reports revealed that 69% of the patients had Vitamin D deficiency.The health department too confirmed this data.
“We had carried out the study on patients from different age groups. Results show that the deficiency is most prevalent in the under-20 age group and senior citizens. Improper food habits and limited exposure to sunlight, in both these age groups, are the primary causes of the deficiency,” said Yadav.
“We have been advising residents to go for regular health check-up and eat calcium rich foods such as dairy products, fatty fish (tuna, mackerel and salmon) legumes, lentils etc. Ensure adequate exposure to the sun for Vitamin D. Get a routine bone density check-up after the age of 30,” said Jaswant Singh Punia, chief medical officer in Gurugram.
Some of the doctors pointed out that though India is a sunlight rich country, people prefer not to venture out because of environmental issues like pollution. The trend is disturbing for the younger generation as they prefer mobiles and technical games. Dr Hitesh Garg, chief spine surgeon at Artemis hospital, said, “Undiagnosed Vitamin D deficiency in general urban population can be as high as 80%.”
“In the last 15 days, we have got 50 new cases and there are already 25-30 existing cases out of which 50 % are women. Since Indian food items are not rich in Vitamin D, we advise patients to take supplements,” said Dr Arvind Mehra, Orthopedic Surgeon & Traumatologist, Paras Hospital in Gurugram.