Friday June 6, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR: The obsession with being fair-skinned is among the main contributing factors to Vitamin D deficiency, including in young children in Malaysia, says an expert.
Head of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Nutrition Science Programme Prof Dr Poh Bee Koon said besides preferring to remain indoors, Malaysians were ingrained with the idea that having fair skin was the criterion to being beautiful.
“They do not expose themselves to the sun. Even if they go out, they will wear something that will keep the sun out, like sunscreen, because the idea is: being fair is beautiful.”
She said this on the sidelines of the 29th Scientific Conference of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM), here.
Dr Poh, who is the principal investigator for the South-East Asia Nutrition Survey (Seanuts) in Malaysia, found that nearly half of the children in the country had Vitamin D deficiency based on data collected in 2010 and 2011.
She said the level of Vitamin D among those under 12 years’ old was almost equal to the level of those residing in winter climate countries.
“This problem of wanting to be fair is not just faced by Malaysia but also by Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, which is a pity as we have a lot of sun to be exposed to as a natural source of Vitamin D.”
She said few food contained Vitamin D naturally; among them are egg yolk and cod liver oil.
NSM secretary Prof Dr Norimah A. Karim said parents sometimes misunderstood that exposure to the sun was bad for them and their children, thus preferring to remain indoors.
“It is okay to be exposed to the sun, especially around 10am until before noon. Be out there and spend your time outdoors as it is healthy, natural and a free source of Vitamin D for you and your kids,” she said.
Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause rickets (condition that causes bones to become soft and weak, which can lead to bone deformities), osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases. – Bernama
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/06/06/The-dark-side-of-wanting-to-be-fair-Obsession-can-lead-to-Vitamin-D-deficiency/
