Vitamin D deficiency in India
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6060930/
Prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency ranged from 40% to 99%
Most of the studies reporting a prevalence of 80%–90%
Prevalent in all the age groups and high-risk groups alike
Factors
Major source, synthesis in skin on exposure to sunlight
Ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation, wavelength 290–320 nm
Fish, fortified food, supplements
Vegetables and grains are poor sources
Latitude, solar zenith angle, atmospheric pollution, ozone layer, and melanin pigmentation
Defining levels
Threshold levels of serum 25(OH) D required to optimize effects may vary in the various target organs
Deficiency, less than 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L)
Insufficiency, 21 – 29 ng/ml (52 – 72 nmol/L)
Sufficiency, more than 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/L)
Toxicity, more than 150 ng/ml (375 nmol/L)
Desirable and safe range of serum 25(OH) D level would be 30–100 ng/mL (75 – 250 nmol/L)
Metabolism
Vitamin D is needed to facilitate calcium absorption from the gut
PTH is secreted in response to low blood serum calcium
Maintains serum calcium by moving calcium from bones to blood
At less than 20 ng/mL of serum 25(OH) D, PTH is elevated to maintain serum calcium from bony reserves
At serum 25(OH) D levels of intestinal calcium absorption reaches its peak,
and PTH levels continue to fall up to levels 30 ng/mL
Consequences of Vitamin D deficiency
Rickets
Muscle strength reduction
Autoimmune diseases
Cardiovascular diseases
Depression
Suicide
Parkinson’s
Cancer
Infections
Tuberculosis
Obesity
Diabetes mellitus type 2
Important for:
Immune function
Inflammation
Cell proliferation and differentiation
What to do
Create awareness among the public and healthcare providers about the importance of Vitamin D
and the consequences of deficiency
Indian diet generally fails to satisfy the daily requirement of Vitamin D for a normal adult
Need for fortifying various foods with Vitamin D, through national programs
This silent epidemic should be addressed appropriately with concrete public health action.
we can imagine the burden, this silent epidemic would cause the development of the country.
Source