title: Implications of the nutrition transition for vitamin D intake and status in Aboriginal groups in the Canadian Arctic.
abstract: Aboriginal Canadians have low intakes of vitamin D and are shifting away from consumption of traditional foods. Higher body mass index, skin pigmentation, and geographic latitude of residence further predispose Canadian Aboriginal populations to low vitamin D status. Low vitamin D status could compromise bone health and other health outcomes. Studies assessing vitamin D status of different Aboriginal groups are limited. The aim of this review is to examine the literature on vitamin D status and intakes of Canadian Aboriginal populations living in the Arctic. PubMed was searched for relevant articles published from 1983 to 2013. The prevalence of 25-hydroxy vitamin D deficiency ranged from 13.9% to 76.0% among children and adults in the summer. Furthermore, mean vitamin D intakes among all age groups were below the estimated average requirement. As vitamin D deficiency has been recently associated with chronic diseases, and Aboriginal populations living in the Arctic are at high risk for low vitamin D status, their vitamin D status should be assessed regularly across seasons.
authors.affiliation: J.E.H. Fares and H.A. Weiler are with the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. J.E.H. Fares is with the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Notre Dame University, Zouk Mikael, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Jessy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: El Hayek Fares
authors.affiliation: J.E.H. Fares and H.A. Weiler are with the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. J.E.H. Fares is with the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Notre Dame University, Zouk Mikael, Lebanon. hope.weiler@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Hope A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Weiler
mesh_terms: D001110:Arctic Regions / Q000453:epidemiology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D012621:Seasons; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: Aboriginal; Inuit; vitamin D intake; vitamin D status