Vitamin D intake and status in Irish elderly women and adolescent girls.
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.
McCarthy
D
D
Dept of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College, Cork, Ireland.
Collins
A
A
O'Brien
M
M
Lamberg-Allardt
C
C
Jakobsen
J
J
Charzewska
J
J
Kiely
M
M
Flynn
A
A
Cashman
K D
KD
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*
D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D