Over 57% of people tested had low Vitamin D levels

Over 57 per cent of patients tested for Vitamin D levels in 2017 had levels considered to be low or deficient, according to Health Minister Chris Fearne. Responding to a parliamentary question by MP Etienne Grech, who is a doctor, the minister said that 19,452 tests were carried out with 11,186 falling below the recommended level of 30ng/ml. Of these, 37 per cent had levels considered to be insufficient (20-30 ng/ml), and 20 per cent were deficient (<20ng/ml). The minister said that these percentages were in line with tose of other European countries, especially those in the south of Europe. It is a common misconception that people in sunny cimates would not have to worry about their Vitamin D levels as this is produced by the body when it is exposed to the ultraviolet B radiation found in sunlight. Research has shown, however, that this is rarely enough. A report of the global edidemiology of Vitamin D in the Journal of Aging Research and Clinical Practice, looked at various studies carried out around the world. One of the earliest reviews, the Euronut-Seneca study, compared the vitamin D status of 824 elderly people living in 11 European countries. It found that 47 per cent of...