title: Vitamin D intake and status in Irish elderly women and adolescent girls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess vitamin D status during summer and winter in Irish girls and elderly women, and to estimate vitamin D intake in these two age-groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ambulatory free-living, elderly Irish women (aged 70-76 years; n = 43) and girls (aged 11-13 years; n = 17) were recruited. Fasting serums were collected during August/ September 2002 and February/March 2003 and analysed for 25 (OH) D by HPLC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean daily intakes of vitamin D were 4.6 microg and 2.1 microg in elderly women and girls, respectively. Serum 25 (OH) D was significantly lower (P<0.001) during winter than summer in both age-groups. Eight (20%) and one (during late summer) and sixteen (37.2%) and eight (47%) (during late winter) of the elderly women and girls, respectively, had inadequate vitamin D status (serum 25 (OH) D <40 nmol/l).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inadequate vitamin D status during winter time is quite common in elderly women and adolescent girls in Ireland.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lamberg-Allardt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jakobsen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charzewska
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiely
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Cashman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D012621:Seasons; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D