Give me some sunshine: Most Indians have vitamin D deficiency

MUMBAI: Almost 70-90 per cent people in the country are vitamin D deficient putting them at risk of having hypertension and diabetes, according to a study.

A 2019 pan-India study found that 70-90 per cent of Indians are deficient of the sunshine vitamin, and the deficiency can have adverse consequences for skeletal development in babies and children, and bone health in adults.

The study was authored by diabetologist PG Talwalkar, and Vaishali Deshmukh, MC Deepak and Dinesh Agrawal.


It noted that the deficiency is linked to chronic disease, including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

The study found that 84.2 per cent of Type II diabetes patients were Vitamin D deficient, as were 82.6 per cent of hypertension patients.

It noted that there is no significant variation in deficiency levels across North, South, East or West regions, with each reporting deficiency prevalence of 88 per cent, 90 per cent, 93 per cent and 91 per cent respectively.

Drug firm Abbott facilitated awareness around the study.

"Pregnant women in India have up to 84 per cent prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency, which also correlates with the level of Vitamin D deficiency in their newborns. 16 children of mothers with suboptimal Vitamin D are at risk of reduced prenatal and postnatal skeletal development, which affects both height and bone-health," Abbott Medical Director Srirupa Das said.