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Vitamin D and physical fitness in Qatari girls
  1. S Racinais,
  2. B Hamilton,
  3. C K Li,
  4. J Grantham
  1. ASPETAR, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar
  1. Correspondence to Sebastien Racinais, Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, PO Box 29222, Doha, Qatar; sebastien.racinais{at}aspetar.com

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Despite long sunlight hours in the Middle East, indigenous women have been shown to experience low vitamin D levels, generally considered as a consequence of the cultural norm of keeping the skin covered.1 However, vitamin D deficiency is also endemic (91%) in Middle Eastern sportsmen with a more marked deficiency in the youngest adult.2 Historical literature suggests that ultraviolet light and vitamin D may have a role in optimising athletic performance,3 but there is limited evidence to support this hypothesis as a 1-year prospective trial of vitamin D3 supplementation did not increase grip strength in Lebanese adolescents.4

To assess vitamin D deficiency in adolescent Qatari girls …

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Footnotes

  • Competing interests None.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Ethics approval This study was conducted with the approval of the human research ethics committee from the Qatar Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Hospital.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.