Low vitamin D intakes among UK South Asians point to urgent need for public health strategies: study

26 Jun 2018 --- A new study in the journal Public Health Nutrition has shown that the UK South-Asian population’s vitamin D levels are severely lacking, pointing to the urgent need for public health strategies to tackle low intakes of this micronutrient. Using data from the UK Biobank, researchers from the University of Surrey examined the vitamin D intake of UK South Asian adults through diet and supplementation. This population group traditionally has inadequate vitamin D levels in due to their darker skin pigmentation, low sun exposure to the skin due to dress coverage and a tendency to avoid the sun.

Examining 8,024 South Asians (Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani) participants, researchers found low intakes of this vital vitamin. Consequently, a lack of sunlight exposure would put them at increased risk of chronic diseases including osteoporosis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. 

Vitamin D – also known as the “sunshine vitamin” – is vital to our health as it helps regulate the immune and musculoskeletal system. The micronutrient was recently found to improve weight gain and the development of language and motor skills in malnourished children. Moreover, it has been found to reduce arterial stiffness in young, overweight/obese, vitamin-deficient, but otherwise still healthy African-Americans, with results identifiable within just four months, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Researchers found that vitamin D intake through diet was low among this group at 1.0-3.0 micrograms per day, but there was a differentiation in ethnicity, with Bangladeshis having on average higher vitamin D intake (3.0mcg) than Indians (1.0mcg). However, all of the groups were below both the European Food Safety Authority recommendation (15 micrograms per day) and the Public Health England recommendation (10 micrograms per day), which is needed to ensure adequate health in adults.

Vitamin D supplementation use, which is a good way of increasing vitamin D levels in the body, was also low amongst UK South Asians, with only 22 percent of Bangladeshis, 32 percent of Indians and 25 percent of Pakistanis taking a vitamin D containing supplement.

Within this group, women (39 percent) were more likely to take supplements than men (23 percent).

The researchers also discovered a geographic and socioeconomic distinction in vitamin D intake in South Asians. It was found that South Asians in Greater London had a higher prevalence of vitamin D intake (35 percent) than those in other regions (18-28 percent).

“Such low levels of vitamin D intake and vitamin D supplement use in this population group is very concerning. Vitamin D is crucial to ensuring our overall health and a lack of it leads to an increased risk of chronic illnesses putting an additional strain on the NHS,” says lead author Dr. Andrea Darling, from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Surrey. 

Speaking with NutritionInsight, Darling says “the food and beverage industry could look to fortify more foods commonly consumed by ethnic minority groups (such as South Asians) with vitamin D. This would need to be culturally relevant and acceptable. For example, fortification of juice-based drinks (rather than milk, as many South Asians are lactose intolerant or vegan).”

“Another option is fortification of cereals commonly consumed by South Asians, such as gram flour,” she notes. “Of course, as with all food fortification strategies, it is tricky to find the right balance of fortified products so that they cover everyone's needs (vegans/vegetarians/meat eaters, older and younger people) and so that no-one consumes too much vitamin D from these products overall. It would be helpful if these products were the same price as non-fortified products, so they are accessible to poorer as well as richer people.”