Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Sunlight exposure required to get the enough Vitamin D needed by our body depends on the time of the day, geographical location and your skin pigmentation. This sunshine vitamin is needed for strong bones because it helps the body utilize calcium from the diet. Vitamin D also occurs naturally in some fish, egg yolks, fish liver oils and in fortified dairy and grain products.
Despite of this, 3 out of 5 Filipinos tested are vitamin D-deficient based on the results presented during the 36th annual national convention of the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM) with the theme “Moving Forward to Healthy Workplaces”.
The PCOM director, Dr. Marilou Renales said "The results of a voluntary blood testing performed among 369 randomly selected Metro Manila office workers revealed that 58% were vitamin D-deficient while 30% were shown to have insufficient levels of vitamin D".
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| Alex Panlilio, Unilab's VP for Consumer Health |
Individuals who shun the sun, strictly follow a vegetarian diet and those who suffer from milk intolerance are likely to be vitamin D deficient. You may be at risk of deficiency if you live in northern latitudes, have an occupation that prevents sun exposure and if you have dark skin.
Vitamin D is a hormone that controls calcium levels in the blood. It is important for bone and muscle development, and for preventing osteoporosis. So untreated Vitamin D deficiency can increase a person’s risk of musculoskeletal conditions, that include:
· Bone and muscle pain
· Rickets (soft, weakened bones) in children
· Osteopenia (weak, fragile bones) in older adults.
United Laboratories, the biggest Pharmaceutical Company in the Philippines recently launched their latest supplement in the market that will help fight Vitamin D deficiency.
Forti- D is a single- dose supplement that contains 800 IU of Vitamin D. “Taking one capsule of Forti- D every day helps reduce the rick of getting chronic diseases by unlocking the proper function of organs typically affected by such illnesses,” said Alex Panlilio, Unilab VP for consumer health.
Forti- D retails at P6.50 (SRP)
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