More Than One Third of Populations Worldwide May Have Low Levels of Vitamin D

A new systematic review published online on August 9, 2013 in the British Journal of Nutrition, is one of the first to focus on patterns of vitamin D status worldwide and in key population subgroups, using continuous values for 25(OH)D to improve comparisons. Principal investigator, Dr. Kristina Hoffmann of the Mannheim Institute of Public Health (MIPH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, stated, “The strength of our study is that we used strict inclusion criteria to filter and compare data, using consistent values for 25(OH)D. Although we found a high degree of variability among reports of vitamin D status at the population level, more than one-third of the studies reviewed reported mean serum 25(OH)D values below 50 nmol/L.” Low levels of vitamin D have a potentially serious impact on health, particularly on bone and muscle health. In children, vitamin D deficiency is a cause of rickets; while in adults low values are associated with osteomalacia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and risk of fracture. Emerging evidence also points to increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Yet despite its importance to public health, data about vitamin D status at the population level are limited and studies are hampered by lack of consensus and consistency.