Arab-American women living in Detroit, whose modest dress limits their exposure to the sun, may have dangerously low serum levels of vitamin D, researchers say.
Henry Ford Hospital researchers found that 87 women involved in a small study showed vitamin D levels averaging 8.5 nanograms per milliliter for those who wore western dress to 4 ng/mL for those who wore the hijab — modest dress with a headscarf common in Muslim-dominated Middle East cultures.
The lead author, Dr. Raymond Hobbs, said a healthy vitamin D level is 30 ng/mL or higher.
The study, published in the January/February issue of Endocrine Practice, also found the women consumed little dietary sources of vitamin D. Forty-seven women reported drinking any milk on a weekly basis, but the amount they consume isn’t significant enough to boost their vitamin D levels, researchers said.
When people live where the weather is colder and they are more covered with clothing, they depend on their diet for their vitamin D,
Hobbs said in a statement. Unfortunately, most food with the exception of oily fish and vitamin D fortified milk has very little vitamin D. The women in our study drank very little milk, fortified orange juice and had decreased sun exposure because of their dress.
Low levels of vitamin D are linked to increased risk of cancer, diabetes and Crohn’s disease, Hobbs said. Vitamin D is needed to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.
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