Dubai: For the first time in the UAE, a field study will be undertaken to examine the possible link between Vitamin D deficiency, Type I and II diabetes and leading to osteoporosis. The study, being sponsored by Al Jalila Foundation, will draw individuals drawn from all sectors of society who will undergo scrutiny for over two years. Nearly 70-78 per cent residents of UAE suffer from Vitamin D deficiency despite the presence of sunlight all year round but no formal studies have been conducted on a sample population to arrive at any sort of conclusion.

The research entitled "Together against Osteoporosis" will be flagged from mid-February and will be conducted by a team of doctors and nurses from Dubai Bone and Joint Centre (DBAJ), and Gargash Enterprises has donated two fully kitted-out mobile dispensaries to do the field research and compute data.

Dr Michael Stroud, CEO of DBAJ, told Gulf News. “So far, there is anecdotal information on the link between these conditions. This is a first study of its kind where we will conduct research on nearly 2,500 people in the age group of 20-60 and the sample will include both genders, different races and skin types. Of the 6 million adult population of the UAE, this sort of research on 2,500 people makes it a sizeable sample for statisticians to draw conclusions and make forecasts,”

Elaborating on the common prevalence of osteoporosis, Dr Luiza Sampaio, rheumatologist at DBAJ, said: “Osteoporosis is a generalised bone disease and is characterised by decreased bone mass, leading to the weakening of the skeletal system so much so that the bones eventually become brittle and the smallest fall can result in a fracture. But it is a silent disease which is asymptomatic and very often, people do not realise they have the condition until they have a fracture.”

She explained that people who already have a Vitamin D deficiency have a poor absorption of calcium from the intestines and the body begins to the leech calcium from the bones leading to weakening of the bones. “In this research, we are trying to correlate Vitamin D deficiency to the condition. Our message is to make people aware, as osteoporosis can be completely reversed and early detection can help a person seek medical assistance before a fracture occurs.”

While Al Jalila Foundation will fund the cost of the study and the logistics of the team that will include, doctors, nurses, technicians, statisticians, the mobile clinics donated by Gargash will arrive at site to conduct examination of candidates which will also include a bone mineral density test.

Results of the study will be released after two years and health care experts hope that the body of research will set a global precedence and the outcomes will be used to conduct future studies.