Why is vitamin D deficiency more common among women?

Sue pointed out that hormonal fluctuations represent one of the most prominent reasons, as the hormone estrogen plays an important role in activating vitamin D and converting it to its effective form within the body.

As estrogen levels decrease during menopause and beyond, the body’s ability to benefit from the vitamin declines, which is reflected in calcium absorption and increases the risk of losing bone density and developing osteoporosis.

Women’s vitamin D needs may also increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding to support the mother’s needs and the growth of the fetus’s skeleton.

Women usually have a higher percentage of body fat than men, and since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, storing it in adipose tissue may reduce its available levels in the blood.

In addition, lifestyle may contribute to increasing the likelihood of deficiency, such as spending more time indoors, frequent use of sunscreen, or wearing clothing that reduces exposure to sunlight, which is the primary source of vitamin D synthesis in the skin.