One in five children under the age of 5, as well as two-thirds of women who are not pregnant or lactating, suffer from Vitamin D deficiency in Bangladesh.

Associate scientist at BRAC University's James P. Grant School of Public Health, Abu Ahmed Shamim, disclosed this on Tuesday at a workshop to sensitise members of the press on how edible oil, part of practically every functioning person's diet, can be fortified with vitamin D as an effective way to improve an entire population's vitamin D status.

The two-day workshop - titled 'Vitamin Fortified Safe Edible Oil for All: Progress, Challenges and Way Forward' - has been organized by the research and advocacy organisation Knowledge for Progress, better known as PROGGA (from its Bangla acronym), for journalists at the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) premises in the capital.

He also shared that two out of three women who are not pregnant or lactating suffer from the same problem (Vitamin D deficiency). A recent review also reported a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among adult men in Bangladesh.

Abu Ahmed Shamim held up the data of Bangladesh National Micronutrient Status Survey 2019-20, which reported that 22 percent of children under 5 years of age (approx. 'one in five') and 70 percent (around 'two out of three') of pregnant or non-lactating women are deficient in vitamin D.

According to the same survey's 2011-12 results, these rates were 40 percent for children under 5, and 72 percent for not-pregnant or non-lactating women. It means there has been some success in addressing the issue in children, but for pregnant or non-lactating women the change is negligible.

He said serious lack of vitamin D can cause rickets. This results in weakness or bent bones in children. In adults, however, bones may become weak or eroded.

Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes. At the same time, enrichment of vitamin D in edible oil is now being considered as a priority to combat non-communicable diseases in the country, he added.

Noting that edible oil fortified with vitamin D is an effective way to improve vitamin D status, he said edible oil can be a suitable means for providing fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A and D, as the use of edible oil is almost universal.

India has taken initiatives to fortify Vitamin 'A' and 'D' in 5 major food items (including edible oil) by setting up their 'Food Fortification Resource Centre' in 2018, while Pakistan too has made fortification of edible oils with vitamins 'A' and 'D' mandatory, he said.

PROGGA's executive director ABM Zubair was present while programme manager of National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute's Large Scale Food Fortification Country Advocate of Bangladesh (LSSF) Dr. Rina Rani Paul gave a presentation on Micronutrients (Vitamin 'A' and 'D') Deficiencies in Bangladesh, along with interventions to address micronutrient deficiency and their implications.

The workshop was conducted by Nafiur Ahmed, Coordinator, PROGGA, Large Scale Food Fortification (LSFF) Bangladesh program.