Vitamin D and its Relationship with Female Outfit Dressing Style

Abstract

Background: Vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients we get from food can keep our bodies healthy, and to get strong bones, we need calcium and vitamin D. Vit D3 titled the “sunshine vitamin,” is one of the important nutrients needed for a female’s health. Vit D had a constant function in adaptive and inherent immunity. Exposure to sunlight has a major role in providing adequate Vit D for most people in the world. Aim of the study: Our study aims to evaluate Vit D and calcium levels in healthy young females of child-bearing age and to inspect the effects of their outfit dressing. Methods: A total of 108 women were included, those wearing full cover outfit style clothing covering all body leaving the face area and hand exposed group I (74 women), and uncovered women with exposed head, arms, and legs group II (34 women). A quantitative test was used to determine 25-hydroxy Vit D in human serum using minividase and for total calcium measurement atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: All women in both groups had a blood test for calcium (Ca) and Vit D3 level levels, and a calculation of body mass index (BMI) was done. Using t-test for the comparison between (group I and group II).A significant difference (p is less than 0.005) was found in serum Vit D3, which was lower in group I with a mean (12.09 ± 7.59), and for group II, it was (16.56 ± 7.61). Serum calcium was slightly elevated in group II than in group I, but there was no significant between the two groups. The mean serum calcium level was (9.41) in group I and (9.56) (p is less than 0.3) in group II. Although body mass index was higher in group I mean (28.73 ± 0.61) than group II mean (27.25 ± 4.88), it was statistically not significant (p is less than 0.2). Conclusion: The finding of this study revealed that many factors could affect Vit D levels, like clothing styles and lifestyle. Inadequate Vit D intake and covered dress style can lead to low Vit D levels. A recommendation that has been suggested when there is no Vit D intake is to expose the face area, arms, and hands for a short duration in the middle of the day many times a week to have normal Vit D levels.