title: Vitamin D insufficiency in Japanese female college students: a preliminary report.
abstract: Vitamin D insufficiency, a risk factor for osteoporosis, has been well investigated in elderly women worldwide, but little information has been available for younger women. This study aimed to determine serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in Japanese female college students, and to test whether there is an association between 25(OH)D and bone strength. Subjects were 77 Japanese female junior college students aged 19-24 years. Serum 25(OH)D was measured with high performance liquid chromatography. Bone strength of the calcaneus was evaluated using the osteo sono-assessment index (OSI), a combined index reflecting the bone mass, bone architecture, and elasticity, as measured by quantitative ultrasound densitometry (AOS-100, Aloka). The mean 25(OH)D concentration was 34.2 nmol/L (SD +/- 12.1). The proportion of subjects with 25(OH)D less than 30 nmol/L, a cut-off value for vitamin D insufficiency, was 31/77 (40.3%). Simple linear regression analysis showed that there was a significant linear relationship between 25(OH)D and OSI (R2 = 0.098, p = 0.0069). The association held even after adjusting for weight (partial R2 = 0.098, p = 0.0023). Body weight was also a significant predictor of OSI (partial R2 = 0.105, p = 0.0034). These results suggest that vitamin D insufficiency may be prevalent in healthy young women. Moreover, low levels of 25(OH)D in young women may adversely affect bone strength. An additional, newly designed epidemiological study with a sufficient sample size is needed to confirm the present findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Preventive Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan. kazun@med.niigata-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nashimoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Obata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyanishi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003720:Densitometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D013334:Students; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D