98% of Vitamin D deficiency (8 Latin American countries) - Dec 2023

98% have less than the Estimated Average Requirement (E.A.R.) typically 400- 600 IU
80% Magnesium deficiency

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A Landscape of Micronutrient Dietary Intake by 15- to 65-Years-Old Urban Population in 8 Latin American Countries: Results From the Latin American Study of Health and Nutrition

DOI: 10.1177/03795721231215267
Rafael Monge-Rojas 1, Rulamán Vargas-Quesada 1, Agatha Nogueira Previdelli 2, Irina Kovalskys 3, Marianella Herrera-Cuenca 4 5, Lilia Yadira Cortés 6, Martha Cecilia Yépez García 7, Reyna Liria-Domínguez 8, Attilio Rigotti 9, Regina Mara Fisberg 10, Gerson Ferrari 2, Mauro Fisberg 11, Georgina Gómez 12

Background: Latin American countries have shifted from traditional diets rich in micronutrients to a Westernized diet rich in high energy-dense foods and low in micronutrients.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of adequate micronutrient intakes in urban populations of 8 Latin American countries.

Method: Micronutrient dietary intake data were collected from September 2014 to August 2015 from 9216 men and women aged 15.0 to 65.0 years living in urban populations of 8 Latin American countries. Dietary intake was collected using two 24-hour recalls on nonconsecutive days. Micronutrient adequacy of intake was calculated using the Estimated Average Requirement cut-off method.

Results: In general terms, the prevalence of inadequate intake of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, cobalamin, iron, phosphorus, copper, and selenium ranged from 0.4% to 9.9%. In contrast, the prevalence of inadequacy of pyridoxine, zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin A ranged from 15.7% to 51.5%. The nutrients with a critical prevalence of inadequacy were magnesium (80.5%), calcium (85.7%), and vitamin D (98.2%). The highest prevalence of inadequate intakes was observed in the low educational level, participants with overweight/obesity, in men, and varies according to socioeconomic status.

Conclusions: There is an urgent need to define direct regional actions and strategies in Latin America aimed at improving micronutrient adequacy, either through staple food fortification programs, agronomic biofortification, or food policies that facilitate economic access to micronutrient-rich foods.
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VitaminDWiki – Overview Deficiency of vitamin D contains

FACT: Much of the world is now vitamin D deficient
OBSERVATION:There are many reasons that a person may be vitamin D deficient
11 of the reasons for the epidemic are new in the past 40 years, Example: Air Conditioning
OBSERVATION: The more reasons that apply to an individual, the more likely he is to be deficient (additive reasons)
FACT: Vitamin D Deficiency has been associated with many diseases

FACT: Vitamin D intake can be increased by supplements, injection, UV, and sun (very little by food) 112 items

FACT: Adding vitamin D to diets has been proven E1 E2 in clinical trials to both PREVENT some and TREAT some diseases
OBSERVATION: Adding vitamin D (intervention) does PREVENT and TREAT additional diseases - more trials are underway
OBSERVATION: There are at least 10 ways to increase the response by the blood to vitamin D intake

Details at VitaminDWiki

• All items: Deficiency of Vitamin D 462 items
• Incidence of 22 health problems related to vitamin D have doubled in a decade many charts
• Vitamin D levels have been crashing since 1995 (Polish Children, Elite Military, etc)
• People with gut problems are low on vitamin D – April 2011
• Concealing clothing resulted in only 8 ng vitamin D – Feb 2011
• 23 ng of vitamin D in sunny Israel – Dec 2010
• Need to avoid the sun during the summer in Dubai
• Vitamin D deficiency spares no body part – NE Asia – Jan 2013
  • Diseases associated with Winter and the North are occurring in the Summer now that they can avoid the extreme summer heat with air conditioning
• Vitamin D less than 22 ng in Greece half of the year– May 2011
• Vitamin D insufficiency in UK youths – 37X more likely if dark skin – July 2011
• All items in Far From Equator 124 items
• Beijing extremely vitamin D deficient even in the fall: 10 ng – April 2013
• 93 % of US children had less than 30 ng of vitamin D Oct 2021
• 92 % of ALL Germans less than 30 ng - Jan 2012
• 92 % of German elderly less than 30 ng - Jan 2012
• 91 % of Japanese women less than 30 ng - 2012
• 90 % of Canadian youth less than 30 ng vitamin D – Oct 2010
• 90 % of Swiss men have less than 30 ng of vitamin D in the winter – Nov 2012
• 90 % of young health care professionals had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Nov 2011
• 87 % of Tennessee general medicine patients had less than 32 ng of vitamin D – Jan 2011
• 86 % of UK elderly less than 30 ng - Jan 2010
• 86 % of US military has less than 32 ng of Vitamin D – Dec 2020
• 82 % of Swedes did not have the recommended amount of vitamin D – Feb 2011
• 80 % of teens in Europe had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Aug 2011
• 79 % of middle aged Americans had less than 32 ng of vitamin D – July 2010
• 76 % of Irish had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – April 2013
• 70 % of Koreans in their twenties had less than 20ng of vitamin D – Dec 2010
• 50 % of Quebec kids had less than 20 ng of vitamin D – Milk and movement did not help – Mar 2011
• 42 % of US adults less than 20 ng of vitamin D and 82 % of blacks – Jan 2011
• 33 % of pre-teens in Tehran had less than 5 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2011
• 30 % of US had less than 20 ng of vitamin D - CDC March 2011
• 27 % of Turkish mothers has less than 11 ng of vitamin D
• Vitamin D could save More than 10,000 Canadian lives annually LEF
• Teens increasingly indoors - especially if dark skin - July 2010
• Criteria to associate a disease with the lack of vitamin D
• Many reasons why vitamin D deficiency has become epidemic
• Ways to increase the amount of vitamin D you get from the sun
• Review of Vitamin D Deficiencies in developing countries - Oct 2011
• Military and Vitamin D - many studies
• Quick, free, self test of vitamin D deficiency

• Health problem frequency - 1997 = rates of occurrence of human health problems