Ten-year trends in dietary vitamin D intake and its food sources among Koreans: based on the 2013–2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data

• Published in: Nutrition research and practice Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 577 - 590
• Main Authors: Erdenetsetseg, Enkhgerel, Shin, Hye Ran, Ly, Sun Yung, Song, SuJin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition 01.08.2025; 한국영양학회
• Subjects: Original Research; 생활과학; diet; Vitamin D; Republic of Korea; food
• ISSN: 1976-1457; 2005-6168
• DOI: 10.4162/nrp.2025.19.4.577

This study analyzed 10-yrs trends in dietary vitamin D intake and its food sources among Koreans. This study included 61,734 individuals (≥ 3 yrs) from the 2013-2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Daily vitamin D intake was assessed based on 24-h recall data. 10-yrs trends in 1) vitamin D intake, 2) vitamin D intake relative to the adequate intake (AI) of 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans, and 3) proportions of individuals whose vitamin D intake below and above AI were analyzed using a complex sampling general linear model. Changes in food sources of vitamin D was also determined. Vitamin D intake significantly decreased over 10 yrs with 3.2 μg/d in 2013 and 2.9 μg/d in 2022 ( -trend = 0.003) among Koreans. A significant decreasing trend was observed in males (3.6 μg/d in 2013 to 3.1 μg/d in 2022; -trend = 0.002) but not in females. The average percentage of vitamin D intake relative to the AI decreased from 34.1% in 2013 to 30.9% in 2022 ( -trend = 0.003). The proportion of individuals whose vitamin D intake was below the AI increased from 93% in 2013 to 95% in 2022 ( -trend < 0.001). In 2022, the main food sources were eggs, squid, soy milk, salmon, mackerel, and pork, with increased contributions from eggs, soy milk, and pork than that in 2013. Vitamin D intake among Koreans has declined significantly over the past decade. Developing effective dietary guidelines considering sex and age is essential to improve vitamin D intake in this population.