Beijing extremely vitamin D deficient even in the fall: 10 ng – April 2013

Vitamin D status in Mainland China

Nutrition April 2013
Weiguo Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. weiguo.zhang at dsm.com , Elisabeth Stoecklin, M.D., Manfred Eggersdorfer, Ph.D.
DSM Nutritional Products, Human Nutrition and Health, Beijing, China and Kaiseraugst, Switzerland
Received 12 November 2012; accepted 11 January 2013. published online 16 April 2013. Corrected Proof

As an essential dietary micronutrient, vitamin D plays a pivotal role in promoting calcium absorption in the intestine and maintaining a healthy skeletal system throughout life. Beyond bone health, an emerging volume of scientific studies shows that vitamin D also may provide cardiovascular, metabolic, and immunologic benefits and reduce mortality. To our knowledge, in mainland China no national surveys have been conducted to date to depict the overall vitamin D status in the population. Therefore, the purpose of this contribution was to provide the best possible evaluation of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in China by reviewing publications that measured plasma/serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25[OH]D) levels in various age groups and in different areas of China from January 2000 to June 2012. From these investigations conducted throughout the country and from newborns to adults to the elderly, it has been found that vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is prevalent in the Chinese population in almost all age groups and areas if individuals are not taking vitamin D–fortified products/supplements or are lacking sufficient sunshine exposure.

Some studies showed severe deficiency (25[OH]D <25 nmol/L) in Nanjing (north latitude 31) during the winter months
and in Beijing (north latitude 40) in the fall.
This unoptimistic situation represents a significant but modifiable public health risk that deserves greater attention and more efficient and timely management.

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Some of the reasons for Beijing having such low vitamin D levels

1. Cities have lower levels
2. Beijing extremely poor air quality reduces the amount of UVB which gets to the ground
3. Beijing extremely poor air quality keeps people indoors
4. Chinese have non-white skins, so need more than whites at the same latitude
5. Chinese want whiter skins and want to avoid wrinkles, so they avoid the sun

See also Vitamin D Life

• Beijing women have low vitamin D - 89 percent have less than 20 ng - June 2015
• 2000 IU vitamin D not enough to get most Chinese to 20 ng level – RCT Feb 2015
• Vitamin D deficiency in China – only 1 in 18 have even 30 ng, fewer if young or female – Feb 2015
• Low D in developing countries – less than 5 ng in some children in China – Oct 2010
• Hypothesis – China air conditioning disease is the result of less vitamin D – March 2011
• Vitamin D deficiency varies with latitude in Asia, as it does elsewhere – Jan 2013
• Overview Deficiency of vitamin D
• All items: Deficiency of Vitamin D 363 items
• Virtually all Chinese teens at 30 degree N have less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2012 which has the following chart

Less than 20 nanograms/ml of vitamin D

• Percent of population with less than 20 ng of vitamin D has the following graph

Large % of people in many countries have less than 20 nanograms:
Australia 31, Canada 61, China 45, India 75, Korea 56, Malaysia 74, Middle East 90, Mongolia 98, New Zealand 56, North Africa 60, Northern Europe 92, United States 36

7 of the 10 most polluted large cities in the world are in China

Smog is so heavy at times that few people would want to be out to the little UV which gets to the ground