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Clinical Trial
. 2016 Jul 19;11(7):e0159040.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159040. eCollection 2016.

Sustained Increase of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in Healthy Young Women during Wintertime after Three Suberythemal UV Irradiations-The MUVY Pilot Study

Maria Gudrun Biersack  1 , Malgorzata Hajdukiewicz  1 , Ralf Uebelhack  2 , Leonora Franke  2 , Helmut Piazena  3 , Pascal Klaus  1 , Vera Höhne-Zimmer  1 , Tanja Braun  1 , Frank Buttgereit  1 , Gerd-Rüdiger Burmester  1 , Jacqueline Detert  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Sustained Increase of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in Healthy Young Women during Wintertime after Three Suberythemal UV Irradiations-The MUVY Pilot Study

Maria Gudrun Biersack et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Objectives: Vitamin D (VitD) deficiency is a health problem prevalent not only in the elderly but also in young adults. The primary objective of our observational pilot study "MUVY" (Mood, UVR, Vitamin D in Young women) was to test both the short-term and long-term effects of a series of three suberythemal UV radiation (UVR) exposures on the VitD status and well-being of young healthy women during winter in a repeat measure design.

Methods: 20 healthy young women (Fitzpatrick skin types I-III, aged 21-25 years) received three full body broad band UVR exposures with an escalating erythemally weighted dose schedule during one week in winter, and completed self-report questionnaires monitoring symptoms of depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) and affective state/well-being (Profile of Mood States, POMS) at baseline and three days after the last UVR exposure. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) were measured in serum at baseline, and at study days 8, 36 and 50.

Results: Mean baseline 25(OH)D level was 54.3 nmol/L (standard deviation (s.d.) = 24.1), with seven women having VitD deficient status. Relevant symptoms of depression, as indicated by low BDI total scores (0-8), were absent. After the three UVR exposures the increment of 25(OH)D was an average of 13.9 nmol/L (95% confidence interval (CI) = 9.4-18.4) and 26.2 pmol/L (95%CI = 7.2-45.1) for 1,25(OH)2D. Δ25(OH)D, and corresponding baseline levels were significantly and inversely associated (rho = -0.493, p = 0.027). Only 25(OH)D remained significantly increased above baseline for at least six weeks after the last UVR exposure. A strong inverse correlation of the POMS subscale "Vigor/Activity" and the increment in 1,25(OH)2D was found (rho = -0.739, p<0.001) at day 8.

Conclusions: Three suberythemal whole body UVR exposures during one week are a simple and suitable method for improving 25(OH)D levels during winter, for at least six weeks, and especially in young women with VitD deficient status.

Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (Deutsches Register Kinischer Studien) DRKS00009274.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. CONSORT flowchart.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Individual Vitamin D status as expressed by 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in plasma during the study.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Scatterplot diagram, relationship between increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D at day 8 and baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (quadratic regression analysis, r2 = 0.607, p<0.001) The solid line is the quadratic fit, and dashed lines are the 95% confidence limits to the fit.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Scatterplot diagram, relationship between POMS subscale Vigor/Activity and the increment in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D at day 8 (linear regression analysis, r2 = 0.445, p<0.001). The solid line is the linear fit and dashed lines are the 95% confidence limits to the fit.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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