title: Despite mandatory fortification of staple foods, vitamin D intakes of Canadian children and adults are inadequate.
abstract: Vitamin D is largely obtained through sun-induced skin synthesis and less from dietary sources, but during Canadian winters, skin synthesis is non-existent. The objective of this study was to estimate vitamin D intakes in Canadians from food sources. Data used in this study included food intakes of Canadians reported in the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 2.2 (CCHS 2.2), a nationally representative sample of 34,789 persons over the age of 1 year. The mean+/-SD dietary intake of vitamin D from food of Canadians was 5.8+/-0.1 microg/day, with males 9-18 years having the highest mean intakes (7.5+/-0.2 microg/day) and females 51-70 years having the lowest intakes (5.2+/-0.3 microg/day). Males in all age groups had higher intakes than females and White Canadians had higher vitamin D intakes than Non-Whites in most age sex groups. Milk products contributed 49% of dietary vitamin D followed by meat and meat-alternatives (31.1%). The majority of Canadians consume less than current recommended intake of vitamin D from food. Consideration should be given to strategies to improve vitamin D intake of Canadians by increasing both the amount of vitamin D added to foods and range of foods eligible for fortification.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5C9. vatan.h@usask.ca
authors.forename: Hassanali
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vatanparast
authors.forename: Mona S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Whiting
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D