In a country full of sunshine, Pakistan faces a vitamin D crisis, Lahore summit warns

LAHORE: Pakistan is not short of sunshine. Yet vitamin D deficiency has quietly become one of the country’s most widespread health problems — the paradox at the heart of a medical summit in Lahore this week.

The D Connect Summit 2026, held at the Avari Hotel on Mall Road to mark World Vitamin D Day and organised by Scotmann Pharmaceuticals, brought doctors together to talk about bone health, women’s health and general well-being. The numbers they laid out left little room for comfort.

Bones are built young — and break old

Professor Dr Faisal Masood, head of orthopaedics at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, told the summit that bones do far more than hold us upright. They protect vital organs and keep calcium in balance — and calcium only does its work for the heart, muscles and nerves when vitamin D helps the body absorb it. His talk was titled “From Childhood to Aging: Vitamin D — A Lifetime Partner in Bone Health.”

About 73 per cent of people in Pakistan, he said, are either vitamin D deficient or have inadequate levels. There is no single reason. People avoid direct sunlight for fear of tanning, the weather is extreme, clothing habits and social customs limit exposure, life is increasingly lived indoors, and air pollution filters out what sun there is. Eating habits have shifted too: taste now decides the plate, not nutrition.

Osteoporosis, he warned, usually stays hidden until an older person breaks a bone in a minor fall at home. He described the case of an elderly woman who fractured a bone after falling indoors — old age, little physical activity, steroid use and other illnesses all stacking the odds against her. Nearly 90 per cent of peak bone mass, he said, is built in younger years, which is why children need outdoor play and nutritious food long before bone trouble starts.

Women hit hardest — but self-treatment is not the answer

Professor Dr Asma Kazi, head of medicine at Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore, spoke on “Mapping the Burden, Mastering the Management: Pakistan’s Vitamin D Crisis and PSIM Guidelines.” It is a major public health problem, she said — but the answer is not to swallow heavy doses without medical advice.

Vitamin D is among the most frequently prescribed supplements, she noted, yet doctors should first answer three questions: who should be tested, who actually needs a supplement, and what dose. One study put deficiency at 84.3 per cent, a retrospective laboratory assessment at 61.1 per cent. Among women of reproductive age, 79.7 per cent were deficient — 54 per cent moderately, 25.7 per cent severely. Studies from different Pakistani cities ranged from 74 to 95.1 per cent.

Children, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older people, and those living with obesity, kidney or liver disease or conditions that affect nutrient absorption need particular attention, she said. Requirements change with age: sometimes diet and sunlight are enough, sometimes a confirmed deficiency or a high-risk profile makes a supplement necessary — but routine high doses are not right for everyone and can cause harm. Doctors should review a patient’s history, assess risk factors and test before prescribing large amounts.

Dr Andleeb Arshad, assistant professor at Lahore General Hospital, also spoke about women’s health and the importance of vitamin D.

The summit’s message was plain enough: stop running from the sun, let children play outside, put nutrition back on the plate — and if deficiency is suspected, get tested first and treated on a doctor’s advice.