title: Dietary intake of vitamin D in a northern Canadian Dené First Nation community.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased awareness of the wide spectrum of activity of vitamin D has focused interest on its role in the health of Canada's Aboriginal peoples, who bear a high burden of both infectious and chronic disease. Cutaneous vitamin D synthesis is limited at northern latitudes, and the transition from nutrient-dense traditional to nutrient-poor market foods has left many Canadian Aboriginal populations food insecure and nutritionally vulnerable.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study was undertaken to determine the level of dietary vitamin D in a northern Canadian Aboriginal (Dené) community and to determine the primary food sources of vitamin D.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dietary vitamin D intakes of 46 adult Dené men and women were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and compared across age, gender, season and body mass index. The adequacy of dietary vitamin D intake was assessed using the 2007 Adequate Intake (AI) and the 2011 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) values for Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean daily vitamin D intake was 271.4 IU in winter and 298.3 IU in summer. Forty percent and 47.8% of participants met the vitamin D 1997 AI values in winter and summer, respectively; this dropped to 11.1 and 13.0% in winter and summer using 2011 RDA values. Supplements, milk, and local fish were positively associated with adequate vitamin D intake. Milk and local fish were the major dietary sources of vitamin D.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary intake of vitamin D in the study population was low. Only 2 food sources, fluid milk and fish, provided the majority of dietary vitamin D. Addressing low vitamin D intake in this population requires action aimed at food insecurity present in northern Aboriginal populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Larcombe
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Slivinski
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Lizette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Denechezhe
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Whaley
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nickerson
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: Aboriginal; First Nations; diet; food security; indigenous; nutrition; vitamin D