Nutritional deficiencies among ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Ethnic minorities in Britain having their origins in the West Indies, the Indian sub-continent (Asian), China and Africa consume diets which differ in varying degree from those of the indigenous population. These minority groups are in general well nourished and almost certainly share obesity with the host population as their commonest nutritional problem. Infantile rickets and iron deficiency anaemia are seen in a small number of the children of all ethnic minorities. Nutritional deficiencies of folic acid and vitamin B,* outside infancy are virtually confined to the Asian population and result from their dietary habit of lacto-vegetarianism. Vitamin D deficiency leading to rickets and osteomalacia is widespread among Asians in Britain. The contribution of dietary factors to rickets and osteomalacia is the subject of current debate. This paper deals mainly with the prevalence, prevention and aetiology of Asian rickets and osteomalacia with particular emphasis on dietary risk factors for the development of these diseases.

An epidemiological model of privational rickets and osteomalacia

“…At average UK meat consumption levels of about 150 g/d, the new analyses would add about 1-0 pg vitamin D daily to the British diet. Dose-response studies of vitamin D in foods and supplements also indicate that 1.0 yg vitamin D would not produce a significant rise in serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations Robertson et al 1982).…”

“…Vitamin D dose-response studies (Dunnigan et aE. 1982, 1985; Robertson et al 1982) indicate that the small differences in mean dietary vitamin D intakes (Hindu mean 0.68 (SD 0.8) pg; Goan mean 1.90 (SD 1.28) pg) between the Hindu and Goan samples could not account for the gradient in mean serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations across the religious groups (Hindu mean 9.8 (SD 4.8) nmol/l; Goan mean 31.8 (SD 9.8) nmol/l). The higher Ca intakes of the lacto-vegetarian Hindu diet compensated for potentially-increased Ca binding by the higher fibre and phytate intakes of the Hindu sample.…”

“…Elevated concentrations of this enzyme reflect increased osteoblastic activity and showed a highly significant relationship with the presence and severity of radiological evidence of rickets in Asian children (Abdul Motaal et al 1985). Multiple-regression analysis demonstrated that the univariate correlations were independent of other major dietary food class and nutrient variables and of the child's age and sex Robertson et al 1982).…”

Prevention of rickets in Asian children: assessment of the Glasgow campaign.

“…Postcampaign survey-Asian children aged [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] years drawn from three general practices in the city were sampled between December and May 1981 (two practices) and December and May 1982 (one practice). These comprised the practice used in the precampaign survey and two previously unsampled practices in a different area of the city.…”

Nutrition intervention in ethnic minority groups

“…Infantile rickets and Fe-deficiency anaemia were reported in a smaller proportion of Afro-Caribbean children. However, poor vitamin B 12 and folate status, Fe-deficiency anaemia and megaloblastic anaemias in infants and children, and during pregnancy, were reported in a number of South Asian communities during the 1970s and 1980s (Robertson et al 1982;Eaton et al 1984;Wharton et al 1984).…”