Dietary sources of vitamin D in school children in Northern Ireland

摘要: The primary sources of vitamin D are epidermal vitamin D synthesised via UVB exposure and dietary sources from oily fish, meat and fortified foods and supplements (1). In Northern latitudes (> 37), between September and March, sun exposure is insufficient to synthesise enough vitamin D, and dietary sources including the use of supplements, are important to meet requirements (1). The UK government currently recommends a 10 μg/day vitamin D supplement for children to maintain vitamin D status from October to March (1). The reference nutrient intake (RNI) for vitamin D is 10 μg/day; however, current mean (SD) intake is 4.2 (3.1) μg/day (2) and only 10% of children take a vitamin D containing supplement (3). This study investigates dietary sources of vitamin D in a convenient sample of school children in Northern Ireland. Secondary analysis investigated the relationship between age and vitamin D intake. Forty …