High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jiang et al., 2023 | Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr | Meta Analysis

Citation

Jiang Zhiwei, Pu Rui, ... Yang Guoli. High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(19):3602-3611. doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.1990850

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide health problem. However, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Asian populations is unclear. The aims of our study were to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its association with different health outcomes in Asia. Searches for studies published from January 2009 to January 2021 were performed in the MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. This study was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021229841). In total, 472 studies with 746,564 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. The mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration was 49.39 nmol/L; 20.93% of the participants had 25(OH)D levels <25 nmol/L, 22.82% had levels <30 nmol/L, 57.69% had levels <50 nmol/L, and 76.85% had levels <75 nmol/L. This review found that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Asia is high. The factors significantly related to vitamin D deficiency were gender, age, altitude, region, and specific diseases (diabetes, cancer, fracture, systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], fatty liver disease, osteopenia, thyroiditis, anemia, hepatitis, metabolic diseases, and dermatitis). These findings may serve as the foundation for more detailed public health strategies and policies on this issue.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1990850.

Key Findings

These findings may serve as the foundation for more detailed public health strategies and policies on this issue.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1990850.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 746564
Age Range See abstract
Condition diabetes

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Prevalence
  • Vitamin D Deficiency
  • Vitamin D
  • Asia
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
  • Global Health

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review, Journal Article
  • Vertical: vitamin-d

Provenance


Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09