Obese People Need Two to Three Times More of Vitamin-D Intake, says Dr. Michael Holick

Author of  'The UV Advantage’ and one of the world’s most respected authorities on Vitamin-D recommends 5-15 minutes of sensible sun exposure daily Middle East population is 78-100 per cent deficient in Vitamin-D

Dubai, December 28 2016:  Dr. Michael Holick, a pioneering researcher and one of the world’s leading experts on Vitamin-D recommended that obese people need to take two to three times more than the normal adult supplement of 2,000 to 3,000 IUs daily to mitigate health issues arising out of the deficiency of this vital vitamin.

Dr. Holick made the observation at a half-day seminar, D-Code, on Vitamin-D deficiency organized by Al Rawabi Dairy Company recently with the support of Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Dr.  Holick who is the author 'The UV Advantage,’ and well known for his research on Vitamin-D deficiency for over 40 years was the chief speaker at the D-Code.

Obese people have an abundance of body fat that the Vitamin-D gets sequestered in it and hence it is not bioavailable.  Deficiency of Vitamin-D in obese people causes muscle weakness, aches and pains in bones and muscles and tend to make them inactive, Dr. Holick said, adding that the vitamin is known to play a role in fat cell metabolism and insulin sensitivity, which are very important to reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Highlighting the gravity of the deficiency of Vitamin-D in the region which is home to epidemic proportions of obesity, he said the prevalent deficiency of the sunshine vitamin in the Middle East population was in the range of 78-100 per cent and this was a major concern.

“Vitamin-D deficiency is a major global concern,” said Dr. Holick, advising exposure to sun for five to 15 minutes as an imperative and added that putting a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 reduces the ability to make Vitamin D in the skin by about 95-98 per cent.

Dr. Holick said he has always advocated sensible exposure to sun adding that face which has a small surface area could be shielded from direct sunlight. Instead exposing large portions of the body including arms and legs to sunlight for at least three to four times a week is sufficient enough.

On the supplement front, Dr. Holick said there are no reported cases of toxicity in the world in consuming Vitamin D up to 10,000 IUs and recommended an average of 2,000 IUs a day for adults and 1,000 IUs for children.

D-Code was a first in the community knowledge awareness activities of Al Rawabi in partnership with DHA. “D-Code was a significant initiative at imparting knowledge and creating awareness on Vitamin-D in the wake of the findings that a lion’s share of the UAE population is deficient in this vital mineral leading to various health-related maladies,” said Mr. Dr. Ahmed El Tigani, CEO of Al Rawabi.

Other prominent speakers at D-Code included Dr. Wafa Helmi Rida, Director of Clinical Nutrition Department, Clinical Support Services Sector, DHA, who presented a paper on supplementation of Vitamin-D during pregnancy and lactation with case studies and Dr. Cedric Annweiler, an acknowledged global expert on geriatric medicine and biology of ageing from France speaking on Vitamin- D and central nervous system with focus on mental health.