We’ve known for some time now that many people, even in sunny Australia, may have low vitamin D levels.
Now a new study by scientists from the University of Adelaide and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in South Australia has found that almost a quarter of Adelaide residents studied had low levels of vitamin D.
The study tested the blood vitamin D levels of 2,143 residents of the north western suburbs of Adelaide. The researchers defined vitamin D deficiency as less than 25 mmol/L, and insufficient vitamin D as less than 50 mmol/L. Of the people sampled, 22.7% were found to have insufficient vitamin D. Overall, 38.5% had less than 60 mmol/L of vitamin D, considered the lowest optimum level of the vitamin for recommended in SA.
Among those studied, women were more likely to have low vitamin D than men, and people who were less physically active had lower levels than people with a higher rate of exercise.
Overall, vitamin D levels were also lower in winter than spring. The authors concluded that low vitamin D levels were prevalent in the South Australian population. Could you be deficient in Vitamin D?
