Egypt gets more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, and yet vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common findings in routine blood tests here. It is not a contradiction once you look at how people actually live.
Why it happens
- We avoid the sun. Peak vitamin D synthesis happens between 10 AM and 2 PM, exactly when most people are indoors or covered up.
- Clothing and sunscreen. Both are good for skin health, and both reduce vitamin D production.
- Air pollution. Cairo's haze scatters a meaningful portion of the UVB that skin needs.
- Diet. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D in useful amounts.
Symptoms that are easy to miss
Persistent tiredness, low mood, muscle weakness, bone or lower back pain, hair shedding, and getting sick more often than usual. These are vague on their own, which is why the deficiency often goes unnoticed for years.
Get tested before you supplement
A simple 25(OH)D blood test tells you where you stand. Do not guess at a dose. High-dose vitamin D taken for months without monitoring can raise blood calcium and cause real harm.
Typical approach
- Maintenance for most adults: 1000 to 2000 IU daily.
- Confirmed deficiency: a higher loading dose for a set number of weeks, prescribed by your doctor, then back to maintenance.
- Take it with a meal that contains fat - vitamin D is fat soluble and absorption roughly doubles.
Food supplements are not a substitute for medical advice. Show your test results to your doctor or pharmacist before starting a dose.