Vitamin D Food Fortification is an Effective Approach for Improving Vitamin D Status; A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Low vitamin D (vit D) serum levels have been linked to various diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. Maintenance of optimal vit D level should be supported by foods and supplements. Limited food sources of vit D made researchers focus on food fortification in recent years. Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials reporting the impact of vit D food fortification on 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] level was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science and Google Scholar from inception up to August 2017. Results: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria and most of them (n =14) have represented the significant effect of food fortification on the improvement of vit D status of the participants. However, two studies failed to find any reasonable associations. Furthermore, it was observed that vit D food fortification has a greater impact on the people with lower 25(OH)D serum levels. Conclusions: Fortification of foods with vit D has a significant impact on serum 25(OH)D concentrations. Therefore, food enrichment is an economical and effective approach for different populations to prevent vit D deficiency.