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. 2021 Dec 9;10(12):1584-1593.
doi: 10.1530/EC-21-0341.

100 YEARS OF VITAMIN D: Dietary intake and main food sources of vitamin D and calcium in Colombian urban adults

Mateo Amaya-Montoya  1 , Daniela Duarte-Montero  1 , Luz D Nieves-Barreto  1 , Angélica Montaño-Rodríguez  1 , Eddy C Betancourt-Villamizar  2 , María P Salazar-Ocampo  1 , Carlos O Mendivil  1   3
Affiliations

100 YEARS OF VITAMIN D: Dietary intake and main food sources of vitamin D and calcium in Colombian urban adults

Mateo Amaya-Montoya et al. Endocr Connect. .

Abstract

Data on dietary calcium and vitamin D intake from Latin America are scarce. We explored the main correlates and dietary sources of calcium and vitamin D in a probabilistic, population-based sample from Colombia. We studied 1554 participants aged 18-75 from five different geographical regions. Dietary intake was assessed by employing a 157-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and national and international food composition tables. Daily vitamin D intake decreased with increasing age, from 230 IU/day in the 18-39 age group to 184 IU/day in the 60-75 age group (P -trend < 0.001). Vitamin D intake was positively associated with socioeconomic status (SES) (196 IU/day in lowest vs 234 in highest SES, P-trend < 0.001), and with educational level (176 IU/day in lowest vs 226 in highest education level, P-trend < 0.001). Daily calcium intake also decreased with age, from 1376 mg/day in the 18-39 age group to 1120 mg/day in the 60-75 age group (P -trend < 0.001). Calcium intake was lowest among participants with only elementary education, but the absolute difference in calcium intake between extreme education categories was smaller than for vitamin D (1107 vs 1274 mg/day, P-trend = 0.023). Daily calcium intake did not correlate with SES (P -trend = 0.74). Eggs were the main source of overall vitamin D, albeit their contribution decreased with increasing age. Dairy products contributed at least 48% of dietary calcium in all subgroups, mostly from cheese-containing traditional foods. SES and education were the key correlates of vitamin D and calcium intake. These findings may contribute to shape public health interventions in Latin American countries.

Keywords: Latin America; calcium; dietary intake; nutritional epidemiology; vitamin D.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Daily vitamin D intake. (A) by age group; (B) by SES; (C) by educational level. Only significant between-category P -values are shown.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Daily calcium intake. (A) by age group; (B) by SES; (C) by educational level. The overall difference among groups was significant (P < 0.001). Only significant between-category P-values are shown.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Food sources of vitamin D by age (A), SES (B), and educational level (C). Cereals refers to fortified breakfast cereals. Dairy includes fortified milk.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Food sources of calcium by age (A), SES (B), and educational level (C). Cereals refers to fortified breakfast cereals. Dairy includes fortified milk.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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