Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jan;6(1):151-73.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph6010151. Epub 2009 Jan 7.

Vitamin D status of clinical practice populations at higher latitudes: analysis and applications

Stephen J Genuis  1 , Gerry K Schwalfenberg, Michelle N Hiltz, Sharon A Vaselenak
Affiliations

Vitamin D status of clinical practice populations at higher latitudes: analysis and applications

Stephen J Genuis et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2009 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Inadequate levels of vitamin D (VTD) throughout the life cycle from the fetal stage to adulthood have been correlated with elevated risk for assorted health afflictions. The purpose of this study was to ascertain VTD status and associated determinants in three clinical practice populations living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada--a locale with latitude of 53 degrees 30'N, where sun exposure from October through March is often inadequate to generate sufficient vitamin D.

Methods: To determine VTD status, 1,433 patients from three independent medical offices in Edmonton had levels drawn for 25(OH)D as part of their medical assessment between Jun 2001 and Mar 2007. The relationship between demographic data and lifestyle parameters with VTD status was explored. 25(OH)D levels were categorized as follows: (1) Deficient: <40 nmol/L; (2) Insufficient (moderate to mild): 40 to <80 nmol/L; and (3) Adequate: 80-250 nmol/L. Any cases <25 nmol/L were subcategorized as severely deficient for purposes of further analysis.

Results: 240 (16.75% of the total sample) of 1,433 patients were found to be VTD 'deficient' of which 48 (3.35% of the overall sample) had levels consistent with severe deficiency. 738 (51.5% of the overall sample) had 'insufficiency' (moderate to mild) while only 31.75% had 'adequate' 25(OH)D levels. The overall mean for 25(OH) D was 68.3 with SD=28.95. VTD status was significantly linked with demographic and lifestyle parameters including skin tone, fish consumption, milk intake, sun exposure, tanning bed use and nutritional supplementation.

Conclusion: A high prevalence of hypovitaminosis-D was found in three clinical practice populations living in Edmonton. In view of the potential health sequelae associated with widespread VTD inadequacy, strategies to facilitate translation of emerging epidemiological information into clinical intervention need to be considered in order to address this public health issue. A suggested VTD supplemental intake level is presented for consideration.

Keywords: Dietary supplements; epidemiology; hypovitaminosis-D; information science; knowledge translation; nutrition; public health; vitamin D; vitamin D deficiency; vitamin D insufficiency.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N. Engl. J. Med. 2007;357:266–281. - PubMed
    1. Bralley JA, Lord RS. Laboratory Evaluations in Molecular Medicine: Nutrients, Toxicants, and Cell Regulators. The Institute for Advances in Molecular Medicine; Norcross, GA, USA: 2005. pp. 1–381.
    1. Lo C. Integrating nutrition as a theme throughout the medical school curriculum. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2000;72:882S–889S. - PubMed
    1. Webb AR, Kline L, Holick MF. Influence of season and latitude on the cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D3: exposure to winter sunlight in Boston and Edmonton will not promote vitamin D3 synthesis in human skin. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1988;67:373–378. - PubMed
    1. Garland CF, Comstock GW, Garland FC, Helsing KJ, Shaw EK, Gorham ED. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and colon cancer: eight-year prospective study. Lancet. 1989;2:1176–1178. - PubMed