Vitamin D in Pakistan: Why the Sun Isn’t Reaching You, and a Fix (Video)

Transcript

Sunlight and Vitamin D

Ever wonder why a country bathed in sunshine still sees so many low vitamin D numbers? Let's unpack the simple reasons and a doable fix.

Sunlight paradox

About twenty minutes of uncovered forearms and shins under a high Pakistani sun, a few times a week, can give your skin a decent dose of vitamin D. It sounds easy, yet blood tests in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar often show a shortage. The trick is getting the right kind of sunlight on the right skin.

At a glance

A quick snapshot: most people wear full-cover clothing, spend a lot of time indoors, and deal with smog and dust that block UVB. The sweet spot is when your shadow is shorter than you, roughly between ten in the morning and three in the afternoon, with arms and legs bare and no glass in the way. Aim for fifteen to twenty minutes, three to four times a week, and remember food can only add a little.

Why a sunny country is deficient

Vitamin D is made when a narrow band of UVB reaches the skin, and that band is strongest when the sun sits high in the sky. Glass, thick cloth, heavy smog, and sunscreen all block it. In a typical Pakistani day, most skin stays covered, whether it's a shalwar kameez with a dupatta, an abaya, or a hijab, so the UVB never gets through.

A realistic sun routine

The goal is to give enough UVB to enough skin without burning or tanning the face. Keep the face and neck covered or sunscreened, and let the forearms, lower legs, or even the back do the work. Find the window when your shadow is shorter than your height, expose those areas, and adjust the time by skin tone and season, fair to wheatish skin needs about ten to fifteen minutes in summer, fifteen to twenty in winter, and darker skin a bit longer. Three or four sessions a week are enough because the body stores the vitamin.

Before you buy anything

Give the routine a month. Every Friday, jot down how you feel, energy, aches, mood. It costs nothing and mirrors what a sensible doctor would suggest for a mildly low result. If after four weeks you still feel tired or achy, or if you belong to a higher-risk group, a blood test becomes worthwhile.

What food can and can't do

Food alone won’t fix a deficiency. Oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines or local machli such as bam or surmai are the real contributors, aim for a couple of servings each week. Egg yolk adds a little, and fortified milk can help if you find a brand that actually adds vitamin D. Most other foods, including ghee, butter, and regular milk, contain only trace amounts.

How it was used

Winter sunbathing has been a household habit long before modern prescriptions. Families would spread charpoys in the courtyard at noon, oil babies and let them soak a few minutes in the December sun, and elders would sit on the roof shelling peas with their shins exposed. Both Unani and Ayurvedic traditions praise short, regular midday winter sun for strong bones and a better mood.

The test, the numbers, and the doctor's call

The blood test looks at 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Most labs flag anything below twenty nanograms per millilitre as deficient, twenty to thirty as insufficient, and above thirty as adequate. Some use thirty as the cut-off, so be sure to ask which unit your lab reports, mix-ups between ng/mL and nmol/L happen. Testing is especially important for pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who stay fully covered outdoors, older adults with falls or bone pain, and those with certain medical conditions.

Myth: sunscreen is why everyone is deficient

People often blame sunscreen for the low numbers, but in reality most folks apply far less than the amount needed to block UVB completely, and they miss patches. The face is a small area, and daily sunscreen there doesn’t stop the arms and legs from getting sun. The real issue is that many never expose their limbs at midday at all.

Worth knowing first

A quick word of caution: don’t start high-dose vitamin D tablets, sachets or injections on your own. The right dose depends on a blood test, your weight, kidney function and calcium levels. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, anyone with kidney disease, stones, sarcoidosis, high calcium, or on certain blood pressure meds should always check with a doctor first. If you notice nausea, constant thirst, frequent urination or confusion while taking vitamin D, stop and seek medical advice.

For the full story and more details, head over to thecareonline.com, remember, this is general guidance, not medical advice.