Time to Do Something for Vitamin D Deficiency; A Review

Context: Vitamin D deficiency is a common nutritional disorder in Iran. Vitamin D is an essential health factor from birth onward. This study was conducted to summarize epidemiologic researches regarding vitamin D deficiency in different parts of the country and to conclude if food fortification is necessary.Evidence Acquisition: The study was designed in Thalassemia Research Center, Sari, Iran. It was a narrative review on the current situation of vitamin D deficiency in Iran. Related literature of the studies, in Farsi and English, conducted in the recent decade were explored. Data source of the study was Medline, SID, PubMed, Scopus, Request, Web-of-knowledge, Springer, Ovid, and Google Scholar. Twenty five cross-sectional researches were found regarding vitamin D status in Iran from 2003 to 2013. There was also a Meta-analysis conducted in 2008. The total amount of 25(OH) D3 was measured mostly by radio immune assay (RIA) method. Most of the studies were done on adults. Definition of vitamin D deficiency was based on cut off of the kit in most studies; however in some studies the serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) was measured and cut off for diagnosis based on increased PTH. Maximum rate of sever vitamin D deficiency was reported as 47% in 2011. Vitamin D deficiency is very frequent in Iran. Dealing with a national important nutritional problem is important. One way is to fortify suitable foods or edible products such as milk or cooking oil. Increasing public awareness about the problem and motivating people to do something on their expense is another option. In the current case taking vitamin D supplements on a regular basis, daily, weekly, or any other routines which could be available and cost effective may solve the problem. For people above one year old it is recommended to take 300’000 IU (as intramuscular injection or oral dose) of vitamin D as a starting dose, then 50,000 IU oral dose every three months.