Vitamin D is a hormonal system that regulates the expression of more than 3% of all genes in the body, such as calcium absorption, bone mineralization, innate and acquired immune response, inflammation and tissue repair, renin expression, and insulin secretion and sensitivity.
According to the president of the Spanish Society of Occupational Medicine and Security (SEMST), Dr. Pilar Niño, she has warned that “one of the factors that can contribute to the increasing deficit of vitamin D among the population is the increasingly dimensioned workday that leads to a more sedentary life.”
The deficit of 25-hydroxyvitamin D is a significant health problem worldwide that affects more than half of the population, including children, young people, adults, postmenopausal women, and the elderly. In Spain, between 80-100% of people over 65 years old have lower concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and in those under 65 years old, it reaches 40%.
“Polymyalgia and concentration in work tasks in the workplace can be affected by a deficit of vitamin D in the working population. Therefore, in countries like Spain, due to the high prevalence of existing hypovitaminosis D, we believe that it is essential to provide an extra supply of vitamin D in some key foods in the diet, as is already being done, especially in countries in northern Europe,” the expert added.
Risk factors for developing a vitamin D deficiency
Some of the risk factors for developing a vitamin D deficiency are:
- Prematurity.
- Hyperpigmented skin.
- Low sun exposure.
- Obesity.
- Malabsorption disorders.
- Advanced age.
Pilar Niño believes that “despite the recommendations of different scientific societies not endorsing it, in Spain, considering the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the general population, it may be advisable to include the analytical detection of vitamin D as a standard procedure in the regular check-ups and examinations conducted on employees in companies.”
Regarding vitamin D supplementation, the doctor explains that it is safe as long as it is administered properly, and from a work perspective, she emphasizes that it is a treatment that has no limiting effects on driving or machine handling, for example, and with benefits for the health of workers.
How vitamin D insufficiency affects
Several studies have highlighted that vitamin D insufficiency could influence the prognosis and pathogenesis of some types of cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Various research studies have also reflected the negative impact that vitamin D deficiency could have due to its action on tissues such as the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the immune system, the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and protection against autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, among others.
