The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in Erbil
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is any of the various vitamins that are fat-soluble, chemically related to steroids, and naturally found in very few food products. In the skin, it is produced endogenously through the exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet rays), which triggers vitamin D synthesis. Vitam...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Tishk International University
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Eurasian Journal of Science and Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eajse.tiu.edu.iq/index.php/volume-7-issue-2-article-13/ |
| _version_ | 1827883924914700288 |
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| author | Hannah K. Surji Sundes Sultan |
| author_facet | Hannah K. Surji Sundes Sultan |
| author_sort | Hannah K. Surji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is any of the various vitamins that are fat-soluble, chemically related to steroids, and naturally found in very few food products. In the skin, it is produced endogenously through the exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet rays), which triggers vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D deficiency can cause major health risks as it is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, rickets, and osteoporosis. The aims of this study are: 1- to determine the vitamin D levels of individuals (n=275) of different genders and ages who were examined in various laboratories and hospitals in Erbil. 2- To evaluate the relation between gender and age with vitamin D deficiency. 3- To determine if vitamin D deficiency is becoming an epidemic in Erbil. 4- To evaluate the major risk factors of this nutritional deficiency. In this project, vitamin D test results were collected from five different laboratories and hospitals in Erbil city, Iraq. A total of 275 samples were collected, including 166 females and 109 males of different ages ranging from 19 years or younger to 60 years or older. The results were divided based on demographic information, including age and gender. The population was further categorized according to the vitamin D levels, which consisted of deficient (0 – 20 ng/mL), insufficient (21 – 29 ng/mL), and sufficient (30 – 100 ng/mL). The results have shown that 86% of the female group was below the optimal vitamin D levels, while 82% of the males showed low levels. The results showed that there was no effect of gender and age on vitamin D levels. There was a high percentage of vitamin D deficiency in males and females in Erbil city; therefore, this research suggests that long-term vitamin D supplementation, adequate exposure to sunlight, and a balanced diet rich with enough dosage of vitamin D reduces the risk of multiple health issues. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:20:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-998f72d05c694fbb96db55cac0aed32b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-5629 2414-5602 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:20:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Tishk International University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Eurasian Journal of Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-998f72d05c694fbb96db55cac0aed32b2023-08-02T05:15:52ZengTishk International UniversityEurasian Journal of Science and Engineering2414-56292414-56022021-12-017216317510.23918/eajse.v7i2p163The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in ErbilHannah K. Surji0Sundes Sultan1Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Tishk International University, Erbil, IraqDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Education, Tishk International University, Erbil, IraqVitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is any of the various vitamins that are fat-soluble, chemically related to steroids, and naturally found in very few food products. In the skin, it is produced endogenously through the exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet rays), which triggers vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D deficiency can cause major health risks as it is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, rickets, and osteoporosis. The aims of this study are: 1- to determine the vitamin D levels of individuals (n=275) of different genders and ages who were examined in various laboratories and hospitals in Erbil. 2- To evaluate the relation between gender and age with vitamin D deficiency. 3- To determine if vitamin D deficiency is becoming an epidemic in Erbil. 4- To evaluate the major risk factors of this nutritional deficiency. In this project, vitamin D test results were collected from five different laboratories and hospitals in Erbil city, Iraq. A total of 275 samples were collected, including 166 females and 109 males of different ages ranging from 19 years or younger to 60 years or older. The results were divided based on demographic information, including age and gender. The population was further categorized according to the vitamin D levels, which consisted of deficient (0 – 20 ng/mL), insufficient (21 – 29 ng/mL), and sufficient (30 – 100 ng/mL). The results have shown that 86% of the female group was below the optimal vitamin D levels, while 82% of the males showed low levels. The results showed that there was no effect of gender and age on vitamin D levels. There was a high percentage of vitamin D deficiency in males and females in Erbil city; therefore, this research suggests that long-term vitamin D supplementation, adequate exposure to sunlight, and a balanced diet rich with enough dosage of vitamin D reduces the risk of multiple health issues.https://eajse.tiu.edu.iq/index.php/volume-7-issue-2-article-13/epidemicvitamin ddeficiencyhealth riskserbil |
| spellingShingle | Hannah K. Surji Sundes Sultan The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in Erbil Eurasian Journal of Science and Engineering epidemic vitamin d deficiency health risks erbil |
| title | The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in Erbil |
| title_full | The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in Erbil |
| title_fullStr | The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in Erbil |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in Erbil |
| title_short | The Epidemic and Health Risks of Vitamin-D Deficiency in Erbil |
| title_sort | epidemic and health risks of vitamin d deficiency in erbil |
| topic | epidemic vitamin d deficiency health risks erbil |
| url | https://eajse.tiu.edu.iq/index.php/volume-7-issue-2-article-13/ |
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