Doctors have started advising residents to start taking vitamin D supplements, even without testing their current levels, as the air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region fell into the “severe” and “severe plus” categories.
Vitamin D, a fat-soluble nutrient essential for bone health, immunity, and the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, is primarily synthesized when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Additionally, it can be found in small quantities in foods like liver, egg yolk, and oily fish.
However, with Delhiites enduring months of dense smog each winter, sunlight exposure becomes drastically limited.
Dr. Ambrish Mithal, chairman and head of endocrinology and diabetes at Max Super speciality hospital, Delhi, stated, “Severe air pollution engulfs Delhi for over three months every year, typically from November to January, when the sun’s ultraviolet rays can barely reach our skin.”
During this time, he suggested that people in Delhi-NCR and other polluted cities take oral vitamin D supplements every day. “For adults, the standard dose should be 2,000 IU per day,” he advised.
Dr. Mithal advised taking a vitamin D supplement containing 600 to 1000 IU per day for adolescents and 1000 IU per day for younger children.
A recent report, Roadmap to Address Vitamin D Deficiency in India, published by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and the Anvka Foundation in April, revealed that one in five Indians suffers from the deficiency of this crucial micronutrient.
The problem was particularly severe in the eastern parts of the country, where nearly 39 percent of people are affected. Adolescents, young children, and the elderly all have alarmingly high rates of deficiency, according to the report.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 400 on Monday in most of Delhi and its surrounding areas—more than 30 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization.
Levels of PM2.5, tiny particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs and trigger heart diseases, respiratory illness, and cancer, have reached 350 micrograms per cubic metre in several areas.
The vitamin D deficiency crisis deepens due to pollution
Vitamin D deficiency is more common in urban areas than in rural ones, according to scientific research. This is largely due to the high pollution levels and decreased exposure to sunlight.
According to Dr. Tushar Tayal, associate director of internal medicine at CK Birla Hospital in Gurugram, air pollution has made it much harder for the UVB rays that are necessary for vitamin D synthesis to penetrate the air. He stated, “Smog and particulate matter block these rays, so even people who spend time outside may not produce enough Vitamin D.
” Dr. Tayal emphasized that supplementation is frequently required, particularly for urban populations with negligible sunlight exposure, given that vitamin D deficiency is already widespread in India and contributes to weak bones, fatigue, low immunity, and mood disturbances. Taking supplements can be beneficial, but doctors warn against using them too much.
Vitamin D toxicity can occur when vitamin D intake is excessive, resulting in hypercalcaemia, or elevated blood calcium levels.
Nausea, vomiting, weakness, frequent urination, bone pain, and kidney issues like stones can all result from this. Interestingly, the United States Endocrine Society issued guidelines last year that cautioned healthy adults under the age of 75 against routine vitamin D testing and supplementation due to concerns about overdiagnosis and misuse.
However, Indian doctors argue that such recommendations should be viewed in the local context. A paradox of “sunshine deficiency” has emerged as a result of widespread lifestyle changes and air pollution in India, despite the country’s sunny climate.
Experts concur that daily vitamin D supplementation could help mitigate at least one of the numerous health risks associated with living under a gray, polluted sky as Delhi faces yet another winter of toxic smog.