The UAE is known for its extremely hot weather that persists for most of the year. Yet it has some of the highest rates of vitamin D deficiency in the world. Research shows that 60 to 90 percent of residents have low vitamin D levels in the UAE.
But what’s less known is that High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs), who include people with superior access to healthcare, travel, nutritionists, and wellness programs, also suffer from this deficiency.
Chronic fatigue, depressive mood, inexplicable aches in the muscles, and decreased immunity have become a common complaint among executives and entrepreneurs who lead very indoor, high-stress lifestyles. This could be some of the early vitamin D deficiency symptoms which can easily be ignored.
What then makes HNWIs in the UAE have low levels of vitamin D and what are the practical measures that can be implemented to solve this deficiency? The blog describes the reasons, the most important symptoms and the steps of action that should be addressed to keep the levels of vitamin D optimal.
Key Takeaways
Here is what is included in this blog:
Vitamin D is importаnt for many bodily functions. It boosts your immune health as well as bone strength. Vitamin D also helps control inflammation. It promotes calcium absorption and metabolic health in your body, which leads to weight regulation.
This vitamin is also responsible for reducing depression and anxiety by creating hormonal balance in your body. These benefits make vitаmin D a key component for the health and well-being of HNWIs and for people in general.
Following are some importаnt vitаmin D deficiency symptoms:
Constant fatigue is one of the first and the most obvious symptoms. Individuals who lack vitamin D usually wake up fatigued, mid-day drowsiness, daily activity, running up and down the staircases, grocery hauling, or even during long meetings tiresome. This is due to the fact that vitamin D plays a vital role in production of energy in cells and muscles. The body is unable to work efficiently to produce energy, and you are left feeling weary despite the fact that you have slept well.
Vitamin D has a major role in the regulation of the immune system. It assists the body in the production of anti-infective proteins that are needed in the prevention of colds and flu. Lack can cause you to be more susceptible to frequent infections, slow healing and inflammation. This is especially vulnerable to residents who spend most of their time indoors, be it in offices, cars, or air-conditioned spaces.
Deficiency of vitamin D has an impact on muscles and bones. You may find that even simple actions, such as getting up off the chair or moving heavy light things, are unusually tough. The lower back, hips, ribs, or thighs will ache. With time, the lack of it may result in a weaker bone structure and increased chances of a fracture. Even HNWIs who exercise regularly and are physically fit but do it indoors may suffer those symptoms but not even detect that the vitamin D is the root of the problem.
Deficiency of vitamin D impacts on muscles and bones. Simple things such as standing up after sitting on a chair or picking up light weight might seem strange to you. The pain in the lower back, hips, ribs, or thighs is widespread. A deficiency may result in softening of bones and increase the chances of fracture as time passes. Nevertheless, even healthy HNWIs who engage in exercise indoors can develop these symptoms even though they do not know that the root cause of the symptoms is vitamin D deficiency.
The lack can be reflected in mood swings, irritability, or lack of motivation, which are not very obvious. Vitamin D aids in the stabilization of serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitters that determine our mood. Indoor-oriented people may attribute such changes to stress or fatigue, but lack of vitamin D may be a significant cause.
Another unseen outcome is cognitive problems. Vitamin D deficiency may disrupt memory, attention, and cognitive ability. Things that were previously easy to accomplish, reading reports, planning meetings or remembering details, might now seem difficult. This brain fog may overtime impact performance and general lifestyle particularly during demanding work conditions.
Hair loss is not so evident yet still prominent. The vitamin D assists in hair follicle growth and when one is deficient, this cycle may be interrupted and hair becomes thin, sheds and grows slowly. In many cases, fatigue and muscle weakness are also followed by hair loss, which indicates that the lack is impacting on more than just one body system.
Vitamin D also not only affects sleep by aiding in the regulation of melatonin and the circadian rhythm. Low levels cause difficulty in falling asleep, increase night awakenings and make mornings less refreshing. Sleep deprivation in turn exacerbates fatigue, irritation and cognitive problems producing a frustrating loop.
Vitamin D has effects on metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Even a healthy diet and physical activity can not help in weight management due to low levels. Numerous individuals observe the resistance to weight loss or slower fat burning especially when they spend most of their time in an indoor setting with little exposure to the sun.
When vitamin D levels remain critically low for an extended period, the consequences move beyond fatigue and mild aches. Severe deficiency begins to cause structural damage, hormonal imbalance, and systemic dysfunction.
Osteomalacia is a condition that results due to the lack of Vitamin D over a long period of time, which results in reduced bone mineralization. The bones develop into soft and not dense and strong. This brings about intense and chronic pains of bones especially those of the hips, pelvis, ribs and lower parts of the back. This pain is structural as opposed to temporary aches, and progressive in case it is not treated.
The advanced vitamin D deficiency involves large muscle groups especially the thighs and hips. People can have difficulties in getting up out of a sitting posture, getting up or down the steps, or balancing. This kind of weakness can greatly contribute to fall risk and diminish the level of independence particularly among the aged.
In case of a critical decrease of vitamin D, the body responds by producing more parathyroid hormone (PTH). High PTH causes loss of calcium in the bones to keep calcium in the blood. This increases bone degradation with time, and makes the bones more fragile as well as causing a detrimental hormonal imbalance that can only be corrected by medical means.
When the deficiency is severe, the concentration of calcium in the blood decreases to a dangerous level. Calcium plays a vital role in muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, and heart rhythm. Extreme hypocalcemia may impair these systems and may result in death in case of not prompt treatment.
Extremely low calcium amounts may lead to tetany which is painful and involuntary contractions and spasms of the muscles. These can be on hands, feet, face or even on the whole body. Tetany suggests that there is a great imbalance of electrolytes and cannot be ignored without medical attention.
The extreme loss of calcium as a result of long-term deficiency in vitamin D may disrupt the electrical processes in the brain. This in serious and rare cases can develop seizures. This is a medical emergency and is an indication of severe metabolic instability.
Calcium is also important in ensuring that the heart beats normally. Advanced vitamin D deficiency causes severe hypocalcemia which may interfere with the conduct of electrical impulses in the heart that would result in atypical heartbeats (arrhythmias). Arrhythmias may cause severe cardiovascular implications when left untreated.
Here are some key reasons why vitamin D deficiency in Dubai and the UAE is high.
UAE temperatures hit 45–50°C on average in summer. This makes outdoor time challenging. Especially HNWIs who travel in private vehicles go days without facing the sun.
Experts say you need 10–20 minutes of midday sun (11 AM–2 PM) on arms and legs to generate adequate vitamin D which is pretty tough to pull off in the UAE’s heat.
In the UAE, nearly everything happens indoors. Activities like work, leisure, gyms, restaurants, malls, meetings, etc. mostly take place in shaded areas. HNWIs have private Indoor offices, private gyms, in-home amenities, and concierge services reducing the need to go outside. This more comfortable indoor lifestyle leads to less sunlight exposure which contributes to severe vitamin D deficiency.
UAE residents use sunscreen daily to protect their skin from aging and pigmentation. The high SPF of these products blocks 90–95% of vitamin D synthesis. Apart from that, premium skincare routines are also a major factor that leads to greater vitamin D suppression, especially in the HNWIs.
UAE residents have medium to dark skin tones which means more melanin, less UVB absorption, and lower vitamin D conversion. Many local Emiratis, Arab expats, South Asians, and African nationals deal with this issue which disrupts their vitamin D levels. People with darker skin tones require 2–3 times more sun exposure to get the same vitamin D levels as people with light skin tones.
UAE locals weаr abayas as well as kanduras. Hijabs along with long-sleeve attire are also a big part of their culture. These clothing items cover most of their skin which minimizes their vitamin D intake.
The following are a few reasons why the HNWIs in the UAE are more prone to low vitamin D levels.
HNWIs have private indoor gyms, home spas, in-house entertainment, offices, and personal drivers. All of these amenities lead to an excessive focus on indoor wellness. These lifestyle choices minimize sun exposure in HNWIs which is a leading cause for vitamin D deficiency.
Plaсes like London, Paris, Geneva, New York, Tokyo are regions with low UV exposure. Spending more time in these destinations leads to minimal vitamin D intake. With time, this can trigger this deficiency.
HNWIs invest in excessive aesthetic dermatology, which leads to daily SPF 50+, sun avoidance after treatments, and anti-aging protocols discouraging sun exposure. All of these procedures minimize sun exposure. This creates a significant vitamin D deficiency in such individuals.
HNWIs often spend long hours in boardrooms. Entrepreneurs as well as executives have private offices where they spend most of their time.
These professionals spend a lot of their time in indoor meetings & events. This is because they have to make their appointments. This creates extra stress for them. The indoor lifestyle leads to extremely low vitamin D levels.
Most HNWIs take generic vitamin D supplements that are often too low or too inconsistent. While there are some who don’t use supplements at all because they assume their lifestyle doesn’t require one. They make these decisions without regular blood tests which does them more harm than good.
Here are some simple yet highly effective ways HNWIs can fix their Vitamin D deficiency.
The most important first step is to test your Vitamin D levels at least twice a year. Go to your healthcare provider to get a 25-OH Vitamin D blood test and look at your range. If it is in the healthy functional range: 40–60 ng/mL, you don’t need to make any big changes to your lifestyle.
Next up, you need to get safe and smart sun exposure. Try to get about 10–20 minutes of midday sun, especially exposing your arms and legs. Do not use sunscreen during this short window and do this about 3–4 times per week.
HNWIs can also develop healthy lifestyle habits to fix their vitamin D levels. They can schedule outdoor meets. Outdoor exercises early in the morning also help. They can take important сalls on a balcony or terrace. These small routines can boost vitamin D levels.
This vitamin ensures better calcium absorption. Your bone health along with cardiovascular health improves. A D3/K2 combination is ideal for the daily maintenance of your bodily functions. You can get this vitamin from meat, eggs, fish, and dairy products.
Natural vitamin D sources are very limited. You can get it from сertain foods like salmon and sardines. Egg yolks, fortified dairy, and mushrooms also include Vitamin D. You also need to bear in mind that food alone cannot fix this deficiency. But they do support the maintenance of this vitamin.
In some cases, people who are deficient in magnesium are also deficient in vitamin D. There is a big role of magnesium in managing stress, sleep, and energy levels. Magnesium is also essential for vitamin D activation. This is why you can add magnesium glycinate (200–400 mg/day) to your routine which helps vitamin D work effectively in your system.
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