Vitamin D levels from lowest to highest: Middle East, China. India, S EU. N EU – Dec 2019

From: Vitamin D status in Africa is worse than in other continents

Lancet Glob Health. 2019 Nov 27. pii: S2214-109X(19)30492-9. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30492-9.
Bouillon R1.  Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

Following table includes information from the table in the PDF

Report	Location	<10 or 12 ng	<20 ng
Arabi et al (2010) 9	Iran and Jordan	50%**	90%**
Zhang et al (2013) 5	China	~ 37%	~ 72%
Web 2018	India	-	56%
Cashman et al (2016) 8	EU countries (adults)	13%	40%
Mogire et al (2019) 6	African continent	18%	34%
Hilger et al (2014) 2	Global	7%*	37%*
Herrick et al (2019) 7	USA	5%	18%

   * % deficient globally is probably higher. - Appears that the population size was ignored - see reference #2 below
   ** Middle East: has dark skin and air conditioning - staying out ot extreme summer heat ==> colds in the sunner
It appears that Asia has far lower average vitamin D levels than Africa ( as well 3.7X more population)

 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

References (most of which are in VitaminDWiki)

1. Bouillon R. Comparative analysis of nutritional guidelines for vitamin D. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2017; 13: 466-79.
2. Hilger J, Friedel A, Herr R, et al. A systematic review of vitamin D status in populations worldwide. Br J Nutr 2014; 111: 23-45.
   •  Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
   • Note: Probably lower global, as the results do not appear to be weighted by population size, thus China got the same weight as Belguim
3. Durazo-Arvizu RA, Camacho P, Bovet P, et al. 25-hydroxyvitamin D in African-origin populations at varying latitudes challenges the construct of a physiologic norm. Am J Clin Nutr 2014; 100: 908-14.
4. Lips P, Cashman KD, Lamberg-Allardt C, et al. Current vitamin D status in European and Middle East countries and strategies to prevent vitamin D deficiency: a position statement of the European Calcified Tissue Society. Eur J Endocrinol 2019; 180: 23-54.
   •  Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
   • <20 ng: in <20% of N Europe,in 30–60% in W, E, S Europe; up to 80% in Middle East
5. Zhang W, Stoecklin E, Eggersdorfer M. A glimpse of vitamin D status in Mainland China. Nutrition 2013; 29: 953-57
6. Mogire RM, Mutua A, Kimita W, et al. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health 2019; published online Nov 27. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30457-7
7. Herrick KA, Storandt RJ, Afful J, et al. Vitamin D status in the United States, 2011-2014. Am J Clin Nutr 2019; 110: 150-57
8. Cashman KD, Dowling KG, Skrabakova Z, et al. Vitamin D deficiency in Europe: pandemic? Am J Clin Nutr 2016; 103: 1033-44.
9. Arabi A, El Rassi R, El-Hajj Fuleihan G. Hypovitaminosis D in developing countries: prevalence, risk factors and outcomes. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2010; 6: 550-61.
10. Luxwolda MF, Kuipers RS, Kema IP, van der Veer E, Dijck-Brouwer DA, Muskiet FA. Vitamin D status indicators in indigenous populations in East Africa. Eur J Nutr 2013; 52: 1115-25.
11. Bouillon R, Marcocci C, Carmeliet G, et al. Skeletal and extraskeletal actions of vitamin D: current evidence and outstanding questions. Endocr Rev 2019; 40: 1109-51.
12. Hess AF. Rickets, including osteomalacia and tetany. Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger, 1929.
13. Creo AL, Thacher TD, Pettifor JM, Strand MA, Fischer PR. Nutritional rickets around the world: an update. Paediatr Int Child Health 2017; 37: 84-98.

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