Vitamin D status in Mainland of China: A systematic review and meta-analysis
EClinicalMedicine. 2021 Jul 14;38:101017. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101017. eCollection 2021 Aug.
Wenhua Liu 1, Jing Hu 2, Yuanyuan Fang 3, Peng Wang 4, Yanjun Lu 5, Na Shen 5
63% of studies < 20 ng (234,000 people)
- Supplement usage - US 50 percent, China 0.7 percent - 2018
- Vitamin D levels in 56 countries (many have less than 20 ng) – 2021
Items in both categories Deficiency and Orient are listed here:
- 82% of Chinese hospital staff had less than 12 ng of Vitamin D (65% of patients)– May 2024
- Low vitamin D in Malaysia (85 percent less than 30 ng) – meta-analysis Nov 2022
- Vitamin D Deficiency in children in SE Asia – Oct 2022
- Vitamin D levels in new borns are so low that they are considering supplementing to prevent Rickets (Japan) – July 2022
- Majority of South Asian children and youths have low vitamin D (85 pcnt of neonates) – March 2022
- Half of Mongolian schoolchildren have less than 10 ng of vitamin D – Nov 2021
- Most Chinese have less than 20 ng level of Vitamin D - meta-analysis Aug 2021
- Less COVID-19 infection, mortality in countries with higher Vitamin D (Asia in this case) – May 2021
- Chinese COVID-19 study – 80 pct of severe cases had low Vitamin D, all asymptomatic cases had OK Vit D – Oct 13, 2020
- Half of Chinese adolescents have less than 20 ng of VItamin D - Oct 2020
- Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Infants reduced 5.9 X by daily 600 IU of vitamin D (China) - March 2020
- Higher Vitamin D in US seniors if older, female, not smoke, but LOWER for each in China – Dec 2019
- Vitamin D levels from lowest to highest: Middle East, China. India, S EU. N EU – Dec 2019
- Vitamin D levels continue to fall in Korea– June 2018
- Beijing women have low vitamin D - 89 percent have less than 20 ng - June 2015
- Vitamin D deficiency in China – only 1 in 18 have even 30 ng, fewer if young or female – Feb 2015
- Vitamin D deficiency is a major global public health problem – Maps Nov 2013
- Chinese have very low vitamin D - July 2013
- Vitamin D in Japanese women: 91 percent have less than 30 ng– 2012
- Beijing extremely vitamin D deficient even in the fall: 10 ng – April 2013
- Virtually all Chinese teens at 30 degree N have less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2012
- Low levels of vitamin D in Japanese office workers – July 2011
- Hypothesis – China air conditioning disease is the result of less vitamin D – March 2011
- Low D in developing countries – less than 5 ng in some children in China – Oct 2010
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Background: Low vitamin D (VitD) status is becoming a global health issue. Previous heterogenous results are urging a meta-analysis to delineate a panorama of VitD conditions in the general population in Mainland of China.
Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, and VIP databases up to June 4, 2021. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) original articles or dissertations focused on VitD status of people in Mainland of China; and (2) studies were population-based, cross-sectional, or longitudinal cohort with baseline data. The outcomes were serum 25(OH)D concentration and the prevalence of low VitD status. Low VitD status included VitD deficiency (< 30 nmol/L) and VitD inadequacy (< 50 nmol/L). Data were estimated by Hierarchical Bayesian methods. All included studies were cross-sectional or longitudinal cohort studies about VitD status of people in Mainland of China. (Registration: PROSPERO CRD42021226130).
Findings: A total of 105 eligible studies including 234,519 subjects were included. In adults, the overall mean 25(OH)D concentration was 44.3 nmol/L (95% Credible Interval CrI: 39.8-48.7). The pooled prevalence of VitD deficiency and inadequacy was 20.7% (95% CrI: 11.9-32.9) and 63.2% (95% CrI: 53.5-72.3), respectively. In children and adolescents, the overall mean 25(OH)D concentration was 52.2 nmol/L (95% CrI: 46.7-57.5). The pooled prevalence of VitD deficiency and inadequacy was 23.0% (95% CrI: 8.9-44.3) and 46.8% (95% CrI: 37.2-56.6), respectively. Specially, we identified that the prevalence of VitD inadequacy increased with age in populations with age ≤ 18 years and ≥ 60 years.
Interpretation: Low VitD status is prominent in general population of Mainland of China, especially for adults.