Prevalence of vitamin D3 deficiency in orange county residents.

With the prevalence of sunlight exposure in Orange County, California, one would expect it to be rare and unusual to find high incidence of Vitamin D deficiencies among its residents. This study evaluated the concentration of Vitamin D3 as part of a larger study to evaluate bone health in Orange County residents. Our preliminary data shows that 19.2% of the 151 subjects evaluated had low Vitamin D3 (<30 pg/ml) and illuminates a growing problem in the United States. We speculate that the widespread sensitivity to skin cancer and sun exposure, the increased use of sun-screens and the filtering of UV waves in automobile glass has put the public at risk for low Vitamin D.