25(OH)D3-enriched or fortified foods are more efficient at tackling inadequate vitamin D status than vitamin D3

摘要

The ability to synthesise sufficient vitamin D through sunlight in human subjects can beudlimited. Thus, diet has become an important contributor to vitamin D intake and status;udhowever, there are only a few foods (e.g. egg yolk, oily fish) naturally rich in vitaminudD. Therefore, vitamin D-enriched foods via supplementing the animals’ diet with vitaminudD or vitamin D fortification of foods have been proposed as strategies to increaseudvitamin D intake. Evidence that cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and calcifediol (25(OH)D3)udcontent of eggs, fish and milk increased in response to vitamin D3 supplementation ofudhens, fish or cows’ diets was identified when vitamin D-enrichment studies were reviewed.udHowever, evidence from supplementation studies with hens showed only dietary 25(OH)D3,udnot vitamin D3 supplementation, resulted in a pronounced increase of 25(OH)D3 in theudeggs. Furthermore, evidence from randomised controlled trials indicated that a 25(OH)D3udoral supplement could be absorbed faster and more efficiently raise serum 25(OH)Dudconcentration compared with vitamin D3 supplementation. Moreover, evidence showedudthe relative effectiveness of increasing vitamin D status using 25(OH)D3 varied betweenud3·13 and 7·14 times that of vitamin D3, probably due to the different characteristics ofudthe investigated subjects or study design. Therefore, vitamin D-enrichment or fortifiedudfoods using 25(OH)D3 would appear to have advantages over vitamin D3. Further wellcontrolledudstudies are needed to assess the effects of 25(OH)D3 enriched or fortified foodsudin the general population and clinical patients.