A pilot study of the vitamin status of the population of the Russian Federation based on the results of research conducted in a network of clinical diagnostic laboratories

Vitamin deficiency is a prevalent issue worldwide. Within the Russian Federation (RF), research on the population's vitamin status remains limited. Objective. To assess the approximate vitamin status of the population of the Russian Federation with respect to both fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. Materials and methods. This cross-sectional study analyzed the results of 1.490.207 tests for water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins in human blood (excluding vitamin D) conducted between 2022 and 2023 in INVITRO clinical diagnostic laboratories across the Russian Federation. The analysis included demographic information about the subjects, such as sex and age, as well as laboratory results. Results. A total of 3.699.129 assessments of patients' vitamin status were performed, comprising 2.208.922 (59.72%) for vitamin D; 74.884 (2.02%) for fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, K); and 1.415.323 (38.26%) for water-soluble vitamins. In 90% of the assessments, vitamin concentrations fell within the established reference ranges (RRs). Among the 12 vitamins analyzed, elevated concentrations were frequently detected in seven vitamins. The incidence of reduced vitamin concentrations was as follows: vitamin A — 5.29%, B1 — 3.11%, B2 — 2.52%, B6 — 3.04%, B9 — 7.58%, B12 — 4.4%, C — 0.24%, E — 2.31%, K1 and K2 (menaquinone-4) — 0%, K2 (menaquinone-7) — 0.35%, and PP — 0.79%. The frequency of increased vitamin concentrations was noted as follows: vitamin A — 8.05%, B1 — 6.61%, B2 — 22.51%, B6 — 2.47%, B9 — 0.98%, B12 — 7.54%, C — 7.91%, E — 8.85%, K1 — 0.02%, and both K2 forms (menaquinone-4 and menaquinone-7) — 0%. Elevated and reduced vitamin concentrations in blood samples were more prevalent among children, the elderly, and centenarians, whereas they were less common among younger and middle-aged individuals. Conclusions. The observation of increased blood vitamin concentrations may correlate with empirical vitamin prescribing practices and baseline concentration assessments in ongoing treatment regimens. There is a pressing need for further epidemiological research to investigate hypo- and hypervitaminosis comprehensively and to reconsider reference ranges across age groups.