Low prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Irish preschoolers despite northerly latitude and high prevalence of inadequate intakes

Abstract

While reports of inadequate vitamin D intakes among young children are widespread (1)(2)(3) , data on the prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and deficiency are inconsistent. , 78 % were < 5 µg/d and 13 % were < 1 µg/d. Children who did not use a supplement or consume a vitamin D-fortified food had an MDI of 1·2 µg/d. The highest intakes were among consumers of vitamin D-fortified formula (7·2 µg/d) and users of vitamin D-containing supplements (8·1 µg/d). While 94 % of children sampled during winter had intakes below the EAR, the corresponding prevalence < 40 nmol/L was 24 %, which is the threshold on which the EAR is based (4) .In conclusion, we show a low prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among Irish 2-year olds despite a high prevalence of inadequate vitamin D intakes, a high latitude and self-reported adherence to sun-safe recommendations. The current EAR may be too high for young children. Nevertheless, almost half of children had a 25(OH)D concentration < 50 nmol/L during winter, indicating the need for strategies to improve vitamin D intakes in this age-group.

Implementation strategies for improving vitamin D status and increasing vitamin D intake in the UK: current controversies and future perspectives: proceedings of the 2nd Rank Prize Funds Forum on vitamin D

“…These are currently applied on the basis of body weight estimates rather than experimental data. Observational data from a prospective birth cohort study conducted in Cork (51 o N) among 741 two-year-olds, showed a low (<2%) prevalence of 25(OH)D concentrations below 25 nmol/L, despite average vitamin D intakes of 3.5 g/day, with 96% below 10 g/day (33) . This report is in line with other observational studies in Canada showing healthy circulating concentrations of 25(OH)D among children, even during winter, despite lower vitamin D intakes than recommended (34) .…”

“…The highest prevalence of serum 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/L, particularly in winter, was among children who neither used a vitamin D-containing supplement nor consumed vitamin D-fortified food. Among these specific individuals, the mean intake of vitamin D was just over 1 μg per day (33) .…”