Vitamin D-deficiency in Asia

Abstract

Vitamin D-deficiency rickets is an important disease of childhood in China. It occurs in all regions (20–53°N) but is more prevalent in the north. A survey in Beijing indicated that Vitamin D-deficiency (plasma 25(OH)D concentration <12.5 nmol/l) occurred in more than 40% of adolescent girls in winter. Dietary calcium was often as low as 350 mg per day and a positive correlation was found between this and both bone mineral density (BMD) and Vitamin D status. In a subsequent intervention study with 757 Beijing schoolgirls, a daily supplement of milk, fortified with calcium, was provided on school days for 24 months. From anthropometric and bone density data, it is evident that the increased calcium intake from milk, had significant effects on bone and that deficiencies of both calcium and of Vitamin D had been affecting bone growth and development. In neighboring Mongolia (42°–50°N), rickets is also common, but its prevalence has increased since 1990. A 2-year survey (2000–2002) in Mongolia indicated that, as in China, a low intake of calcium and limited exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) light in summer were associated with Vitamin D-deficiency. However, over the last decade, malnutrition has become widespread. It now appears that malnutrition impairs the efficiency of the utilization of Vitamin D obtained in summer. Hence, a number of factors need to be addressed to prevent Vitamin D-deficiency during growth.