Safety and efficacy of increasing wintertime vitamin D and calcium intake by milk fortification

摘要

We studied the safety and efficacy of milk fortified with vitamin D_3 and calcium. Over the winter, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fortified milk (12μg vitamin D_3 and 1525 mg calcium per litre) compared to unfortified milk (0.3μg vitamin D_3 and 1270mg calcium per litre) in 102 adults (aged 17-54 years). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], ionized calcium, and creatinine were measured at baseline and after intervention. Fortification reduced the seasonal decline in serum 25(OH)D concentrations by > 50%. In the fortified group, serum 25(OH)D decreased by 15 nmol/l from 77± 35 nmol/l to 62± 26 nmol/l (p < 0.001). In the control group, serum 25(OH)D fell by 31 nmol/l from 85±39nmol/l to 54 ± 25 nmol/l ( p < 0.001). We suggest that milk enriched with vitamin D be provided in high-latitude European countries to diminish the wintertime fall in serum 25(OH)D.