DEFICIENCY OF VITAMIN D IN YOUNG NORTH INDIAN FEMALES AND THE EFFECT OF CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS CLOTHING ON VITAMIN D STATUS

Objective: This studyaims to investigate the influence of conservative religious clothing on the serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels in young North Indian healthy females and to compare the same to levels obtained in those who adopt less restrictive ‘western' style apparel.Materials and Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 25 women who observed scrupulous veiling and 25 women who did not observe any degree of veiling. Chemiluminescence assays were used to analyze the samples. Student's t-test was utilized in the comparison.Results:All but one of the participants hadvitamin D deficiency ( 25(OH) D levels <20 ng/ml). Observed mean values in both groups were very low. While the non-veiled group had a mean serum level of 9.37 ± 4.2 ng/ml, the veil-practicing group had a mean level of 8.41 ± 3.23 ng/ml. Although, there was a slight difference in mean levels, it was not statistically significant. On comparison of the two study groups, the t-value was found out to be 0.90266 while the p-value was 0.371212. The result was not significant at p < .05Conclusions: The effect of orthodox religious clothing seems to have little, if any influence on serum vitamin D levels, especially when sun exposure and dietary patterns are equally improper in both the groups. Consumption of fortified foods, supplements and adequate sun exposure is recommended on a primary basis and takes precedence over clothing habits to augment vitamin D levels in north Indian women.