Predictors of vitamin D status in subjects that consume a vitamin D supplement

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 84 - 89
• Main Authors: Levy, M A, McKinnon, T, Barker, T, Dern, A, Helland, T, Robertson, J, Cuomo, J, Wood, T, Dixon, B M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/700/2814; Adult; African Americans; Aged; Asian Americans; Body Mass Index; Body size; Calciferol; Cholecalciferol - administration & dosage; Clinical Nutrition; Consumption; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dairy Products; Data points; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Epidemiology; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; Female; Health aspects; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Internal Medicine; Latitude; Levels; Life Style; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Nutrition research; Nutritional Status; original-article; Public Health; Retrospective Studies; Seasons; Summer; United States - epidemiology; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - administration & dosage; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology; Vitamin D3; Vitamin deficiency; Winter
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.133

Background/Objective: Although dietary supplement use has increased significantly among the general population, the interplay between vitamin D supplementation and other factors that influence vitamin D status remains unclear. The objective of this study was to identify predictor variables of vitamin D status in free-living subjects to determine the extent to which vitamin D supplements and other factors influence vitamin D status. Subjects/Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study involving 743 volunteers. Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) level and the variables diet, supplement usage, latitude of residence, ethnicity, age and body mass index (BMI) were used to predict vitamin D status in a summer and winter cohort. Results: Supplemental vitamin D3 consumption was the most significant positive predictor, whereas BMI was the most significant negative predictor, of vitamin D status in each cohort. Other positive predictors were fortified beverage and dairy consumption in the summer and winter cohort, respectively. Negative predictors were: African American, Asian and Hispanic race in the summer; latitude of residence >36°N, Asian and Hispanic ethnicity in the winter. Mean(±s.d.) 25(OH)D levels were 101.1 (±42.1) and 92.6 (±39.0) nmol/l in summer and winter, respectively. Comparing non-supplement vs supplement users, approximately 38 vs 2.5% in the winter and 18 vs 1.4% in the summer had vitamin D levels <50 nmol/l. Conclusions: Vitamin D supplementation was the most significant positive predictor of vitamin D status. Collectively, these data point to the practicality of utilizing vitamin D supplements to reduce hypovitaminosis D in adults throughout the United States.