- 64% of women are anaemic
- 58% women are at high risk of developing Thyroid
- 52% of women are having Vitamin D25 deficiency
Chennai: March 16, 2022, National: Indus Health Plus – a pioneer in preventive healthcare released data on various aspects of women’s health. The study was related to the predisposition of Vitamin Deficiency, Bone Mineral Density (BMD), and lack of Hemoglobin, etc. with a sample size of 15000. The data shows that 52% of women are having Vitamin D25 deficiency while 51 percent of women have low Vitamin D3. 32% of women reported low Vitamin B12. 58% of women are also at high risk of developing Thyroid and 64% of women are anemic while 49% have a low BMD which can lead to various bone-related disorders.
The BMD test conducted from April 2020 to Jan 2022 revealed that only 21% of women’s BMD parameters were in the normal range. 47% had osteopenia which implies a weakening of bones. 32% of women had osteoporosis of the bones which can cause severe weakness of the bones and even minor stresses to the bones such as bending over, or coughing can cause a fracture.
Vitamin D which is a very important vitamin for bone health, that data revealed that only in 15% of women the Vitamin D were under normal range. About 85% had low vitamin D levels requiring supplementation either in the oral or injectable form.
| Status | Vitamin D25 | Vitamin D3 | Vitamin B12 | TSH | Hemoglobin | BMD |
| Normal | 42% | 33% | 48% | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Borderline | 37% | 34% | 43% | 51% | 79% | 43% |
| Abnormal | 40% | 51% | 43% | 60% | 69% | 49% |
| Urgent | 52% | — | 32% | 58% | 64% | — |
| Total | 41% | 44% | 42% | 42% | 42% | 42% |
Mr. Amol Naikawadi, Preventive Healthcare Specialist and JMD Indus Health Plus said, “Women’s health urgently needs to be in top priority. Making women aware of health risks associated with them that can be handled by regular screening, timely intervention and early treatment. Additionally, genetic screening also helps in understanding an individual’s predisposition to various deficiencies and disorders. Regular follow-ups, regular health checkups and a healthy lifestyle can help women prepare themselves in timely management of deficiencies and disorders.
Additionally, the genetic test reports amongst 5500 females at Indus Health Plus reveal their genetic risk for vitamin deficiency. The data revealed that 56%, 78%, 93% and 94% of women were at high risk of getting deficiency for Vitamin B12, B6, D and K
| Status | Vitamin A | Vitamin B12 | Vitamin B6 | Vitamin B9 | Vitamin C | Vitamin D | Vitamin E | Vitamin K |
| Low | 76% | 44% | 22% | 76% | 98% | 7% | 64% | 6% |
| High | 24% | 56% | 78% | 24% | 2% | 93% | 36% | 94% |
Bone Health is often neglected when it comes to women’s health and it has been observed that women face various bone-related issues. The key symptoms are back and joint pain, exhaustion which is many times attributed to the changes in lifestyle and hectic routine nowadays. This ignorance, changing hormonal levels in women with age predisposes them to develop deficiencies and musculoskeletal issues. Other causes of deteriorating bone health include the use of certain medications like steroids, chemotherapy, and the presence of co-morbidities like diabetes, thyroid etc., and lack of adequate exercise.
The above-mentioned factors can be managed by including an appropriate diet including milk and dairy products, fish, cod liver oil etc in the diet, adequate weight-bearing exercises, avoiding addictions and taking vitamin supplements/medications under the supervision of an Orthopedician or a Physician. Regular screening is very important to identify these conditions at an early stage and to avoid complications developing at a later stage.
