An Update on Vitamin D Deficiency Status in Malaysia

Vitamin D is essential for maintaining serum calcium levels, ensuring sufficient bone mineralization, immunomodulatory properties, and a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, renal disease, cancer, as well as in pregnancy. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent worldwide, and it is not related to a country’s development index. However, the data on vitamin D deficiencies are primarily taken from out-of-date, small-scale studies on target age groups or specific diseases, rather than from large-scale, population-based surveys. In Malaysia, for the past 16 years, studies were conducted involving adult men and women, pregnant women, postmenopausal women, adolescent, and children especially with specific diseases such as spina bifida, epilepsy, chronic liver disease, and atopic dermatitis. Only a few large surveys were conducted involving children and adolescents. Across the specific target population studied, vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were seen particularly among females, Indians, and those of Malay ethnicity. This is related to widely known causes of vitamin D deficiency such as skin type (melanin) and sun avoidant lifestyles that include covering clothes, largely practiced by Malay Muslims in Malaysia. Other related causes or the high-risk groups are breastfed infants, the elderly, the obese, those on medications, and those characterized by fat malabsorption and geophysical factors. Vitamin D deficiency can be managed with pharmacological or non-pharmacological approaches, depending on the severity. The objective is to raise serum vitamin D to a normal level, hence, relieving the symptoms and reducing the adverse health outcomes. Despite no clear guidelines in treating vitamin D deficiency in Malaysia, this condition can be prevented with taking adequate vitamin D in food resources, sun exposure, or supplementation. Special attention should be given to high-risk groups including infants, obese patients, and the elderly.