Abstract
Aim: To determine the contribution of food and vitamin D supplements on the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) concentration between October and April in a northern country (almost absent vitamin D synthesis by sunlight). Methods: Children aged 1–18 years were selected who visited the general pediatrician with a complaint whereby serum 25(OH)D3 concentration was determined. The intake of vitamin D was calculated based on a dietary questionnaire. Results: 51.1% of the 174 children had a serum 25(OH)D3 concentration below 50 nmol/L, 9.2% had a serum 25(OH)D3 concentration below 30 nmol/L. Adolescents showed lower concentrations compared to younger children. There was a positive correlation between the total amount of vitamin D obtained from food and the serum 25(OH)D3 concentration (r = 0.218, p = 0.004). The intake of milk contributed more to the serum 25(OH)D3 concentration compared to the intake of artificial supplementation, butter or fish. Conclusions: In the absence of vitamin D synthesis by sunlight, vitamin D obtained from food has a significant influence on the serum 25(OH)D3 concentration in children. Vitamin D supplements can be described as trivial. This means we should pay more attention to food as a natural source of vitamin D.
Highlights
The main source of vitamin D3 for people is exposure to sunlight [1,2]
Since vitamin D is obtained from dietary sources and vitamin D supplements, this study evaluated the effects of the intake of food and vitamin D supplements on the serum 25(OH)D3 concentration in children in The Netherlands between October and April
The medical complaints differed per child. 16.1% of the children were referred for abdominal pain, 18.4% suffered from tiredness, 6.9% had bronchial hyper reactivity and 5.7% had recurrent respiratory tract infections
Summary
The main source of vitamin D3 for people is exposure to sunlight [1,2]. In northern countries such as The Netherlands, the skin only synthesizes vitamin D3 between April and October [1,3]. There is much less vitamin D3 synthesis in the skin because of the latitude and due to sun rays entering the atmosphere at a more oblique angle. Some foods are fortified with vitamin D, but in Europe there are many countries that do not have standard fortification of food groups [1,4,5,6]. In The Netherlands the foods fortified with vitamin D include margarine, low fat margarine, baby food and baby/grow up milk, but no natural milk [7,8]
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