Assessing the vitamin D status of the US population

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition 2008-08, Vol.88 (2S), p.558S-564S
• Main Author: Yetley, Elizabeth A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 25-hydroxycholecalciferol; Adolescent; Adult; African Americans; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Descriptive labeling; Dietary Supplements; ethnic differences; Ethnicity; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food; food labeling; Food Labeling - standards; Food, Fortified; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; literature reviews; Male; Mexican Americans; Middle Aged; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; National Nutrition Monitoring System; nutrient content; nutrient databanks; Nutrition; Nutrition Assessment; Nutrition Surveys; nutritional adequacy; Nutritional Requirements; Nutritional Status; United States - epidemiology; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - diagnosis; Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology; Whites
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/88.2.558s

This article describes the information currently available in the National Nutrition Monitoring System that is relevant to assessing the vitamin D status of US population groups, the strengths and limitations of this information, and selected results of vitamin D nutritional status assessments. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provides information on vitamin D intakes only from 1988 to 1994. NHANES collected information on supplement use and circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations from 1988 through current surveys. The National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference started providing limited data on the vitamin D content of foods in 2002 and continues to update these values. The Food Label and Package Survey provides 2006-2007 label information on vitamin D fortification of marketed foods. Despite limitations in the available data and controversies about appropriate criteria for evaluating vitamin D status among population groups, we can make some useful comparisons of vitamin D status among life-stage groups. In general, males have higher vitamin D intakes and 25(OH)D concentrations than do females. Children tend to have higher vitamin D status than adults. The increasing use of multivitamin-mineral dietary supplements in younger to older adults is not associated with a corresponding increase in serum 25(OH)D concentrations. In general, leaner individuals have higher circulating concentrations of 25(OH)D and supplement use than do heavier individuals. Finally, non-Hispanic whites tend to have higher vitamin D status than do non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans.