Vitamin D keeps the doctor away

ONE would think that most people who live in the tropics will not be lacking in Vitamin D given that there is sunshine all year round. The surprising thing is that a large majority of my patients who live in the tropics do not have sufficient Vitamin D; the main reason being that most of them live in modern cities and spend most of their time in offices. While it is a well-known fact that Vitamin D deficiency leads to rickets, a bone disease in the young, less is known about the need for Vitamin D in adults.

Functions of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is routinely produced by our skin upon exposure to the ultraviolet B (UVB) light of the sun. The Vitamin D in the body behaves like a hormone, and beyond the commonly known effect of Vitamin D on the absorption of calcium from the gut, it has multiple effects at the cellular level with diverse functions such as preventing abnormal cells from multiplying in the large intestine, helping to control the blood pressure in the kidney and helping to control the blood sugar in the pancreas.