Sunday, May 11, 2014

Abu Dhabi: - A new age of nutritional deficiencies has descended across the UAE, creating specific illnesses of their own and worsening the effects of chronic diseases, said experts.

The majority of these deficiencies occur because people live affluent lifestyles while consuming high-calorie foods that are devoid of essential nutrients, doctors and dieticians said. The focus on popular diets and health fads also plays a role in increasing the shortage of nutrients.

“It has come to a point where we cannot consider anyone in the UAE completely healthy. And as income levels continue to grow, so does the consumption of high-calorie diets and processed foods,” said Dr Bathool Nissar, manager of dietetics at the Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Dr Neil Fell, consultant family physician at Healthpoint hospital, agreed.

“Moderns diets simply do not support a healthy lifestyle, especially as they contain an abundance of fast food and packaged items,” he said.

Many nutritional deficiencies are diagnosed when residents visit a doctor for symptoms that indicate a chronic illness.

“Of course when we encounter a person with a lifestyle disease, it means that they have been eating wrong for a while. And since this is the main reason why we develop deficiencies, it means that the patient could have had the condition for a while,” Dr Nissar said.

According to the doctor, dietary supplements that are prescribed do not necessarily have the same beneficial effect as getting micronutrients from foods.

“Besides, many people do not realise that they are losing out on essential nutrients when they adopt trendy diets and health fads that prevent them from eating wheat, carbohydrates and other food groups,” she explained.

Vitamin D

Doctors unanimously agreed that the lack of Vitamin D in UAE patients is the most alarming.

A recent study found that 78 per cent of the UAE population has a Vitamin D deficiency, despite the year-round availability of sunlight. These people must take supplements or injections to maintain levels of this micronutrient.

“It is very hard to get enough Vitamin D from food, mainly because many people do not like some of the foods that contain Vitamin D, such as oily fish,” Dr Fell said.

On the other hand, the nutrient is converted to its active form through exposure to sunlight, but the hot UAE climate prevents people from staying out in the sun.

Dr Rihab Al Nour, internist at Medcare Hospital in Dubai, said nearly 60 per cent of her patients are deficient in Vitamin D, mainly because they do not get enough sunlight.

“International recommendations suggest 30 minutes of exposure thrice a week, and this should allow for sunlight to hit the face and the arms, without the use of a sunscreen, between 11am and 2pm. However, this practice would increase the risk of developing skin cancer,” Dr Fell said.

Deficiencies are often linked

Fortunately, there is now better awareness among patients about the risks of Vitamin D deficiency, including its link to diabetes, depression and cardiovascular disease, Dr Al Nour said. It can also lead to a shortage of calcium in the body, another condition that has been on the rise over the last five years.

“A calcium deficiency primarily leads to weak bones and teeth, and can impair proper brain and liver function. What many people don’t know is that excessive dieting can prevent the body from getting the required amount of calcium,” Dr Nissar said.

Avoiding carbohydrate-rich foods, such as rice and cereals, is a common element of many fad diets, but this too reduces the level of calcium in the body as these grains contain calcium, the doctor explained.

Iron deficiencies are also prevalent, especially among women and vegetarians, and often lead to anaemia (lack of red blood cells or haemoglobin in the blood).

Dr Indra Gautaman, general practitioner at LLH Hospital, said one of the primary sources of this nutrient is red meat.

“But there are known risks of consuming too much red meat, so we cannot exactly advise patients to have more of this,” she added.

By Samihah Zaman Staff Reporter

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