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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What else could be causing vitamin D deficiency?

    Related Topic
    Nutrition
    I’ve been hearing more and more that many Australians are deficient in Vitamin D. As someone who was once a member of this group, I’m intrigued by the issue. I remember getting the news for myself and feeling puzzled - I was training outdoors most days and my daily diet consisted of many foods with vitamin D. It just didn’t make sense!

    I then spoke with a nutritionist, who advised me that she sees a number of tradies who are vitamin D deficient. I thought to myself “Ok, now that really doesn’t make sense – these guys are outside all year round”. So what could it be? Could it be a problem with the test? Could it be that a commonly consumed product is sapping our vitamin D from our bodies? Perhaps its artificial sweeteners? The alcohol? What?!?!
    • 2 answers
    • Genevieve Michael
    • LMHPsych
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  • Genevieve Michael

    Dietitian

    Having gathered 28 years of private practice experience , Genevieve wants to assist people with practical changes to their food and lifestyle issues in order … View Profile

    You have asked a question that the scientific community is also struggling with! Currently there are no answers as to why there is currently a widespread Vitamin D deficiency.
    However it must be stated that tradesmen do wear sunscreen and that the Cancer Council's public health messages regarding protection against skin cancer over the last 30 years has had some success.
    Also there is evidence that overweight and obesity tend to block the absorption of metabolically active Vitamin D perhaps resulting in a deficiency. With more than half the population now overweight this might explain the dramatic increase in Vitamin D deficiency.
    I think you should keep posting this question….it will keep the researchers on their toes!
    In the meantime, supplementation of Vitamin D and a well balanced diet are the only tools we have on hand for treating this.

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  • LMHPsych

    HealthShare Member

    Hi Genevieve,
    Thank you for your reply – I’m glad to hear that others in medicine and allied health are also thinking about this. However, I do think that we need to be careful not to make assumptions about the behaviours of people in this group. When I learned about my own vitamin D deficiency, I expressed my confusion to the GP and told him that I trained outdoors most days. He also cited the slip, slop, slap message as a contributor. He was clearly making assumptions about my lifestyle (a big no-no, but all too common mistake for GPs), and his assumptions were wrong! I rarely (yes I admit it) wear sunscreen at all!!
    I hadn’t considered the obesity issue – it seems like a worthwhile area to investigate given that our population is over represented in this area. That said, I don’t fit into this category myself, so I think we need to keep digging!! Keen to hear what others think….. Lisa

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