75% of Indians suffer vitamin deficiency

More than seven out of ten Indians lack in vitamins, and most of them suffer from vitamin D deficiency that is linked to Alzheimer's disease, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction and schizophrenia. Chennai-based Metropolis Healthcare studied 14,96,683 samples over three years and found an increasing trend of deficiency in vitamin D, vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) among all age groups of Indians. The samples tested across four zones showed that 75% of the population was deficient in three vital vitamins. While 21.02% were deficient in vitamin B12 and 15.06% deficient in vitamin B9, 81.28% of all samples were deficient in vitamin D. Dr Sonali Kolte of Metropolis said symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can be vague, with muscle or joint pain, weakness, and depression. "Vitamin deficiencies usually show slowly. Nowadays, it is observed that people deficient in Vitamin D are more likely to have diabetes, regardless of how much they weigh". Lack of Vitamin B12 is so staggering that it is the culprit behind the suboptimal blood levels of nearly half the Indian population, said consultant nutritionist Dr Deepa Agarwal of Asian Bariatric. The study found that Vitamin B9 or folic acid was deficient especially in the 20-40 age group. Vitamin B9 is vital for pregnant women to prevent anaemia and major birth defects in the baby. The study indicated that the majority of the population had poor practices and were ignorant of vitamin sufficiency.