Question

Certain villages in India are very conservative and women are required to wear clothes that completely cover their entire body. Unfortunately, these women experience bone pain, fractures, muscle weakness, and depression. Explain the relationship between their attire and the signs and symptoms they are experiencing?

Answer 1

Covering the entire body with clothing leads to vitamin D deficiency. UV B rays from the sun are responsible for the production of vitamin D in the skin cells of human body. Vitamin D is essential for bone health as it is involved in absorption of calcium and growing strong muscle. Since UV B rays cannot pass through the clothing, women in full clothing are not exposed to UV B rays and result in vitamin D deficiency. This leads to bone pain, fractures, muscle weakness and depression.