Prevalence of nutrient adequacy for vitamin D in the United States

Vitamin D can be found in naturally occurring and fortified food in the US food supply. More than one-third of the US population reported consuming at least some form of a dietary supplement (DS) containing vitamin D. Estimating the prevalence of nutrient adequacy for vitamin D provides an overall dietary status for the US population. Usual intakes of vitamin D (from food) were examined using the food consumption data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2004 (NHANES). Intake distributions were analyzed based on the National Cancer Institute method by various age groups (4-8, 9-13, 14-18, 19-30, 31-50, 51-70, and 71+). Vitamin D from food was calculated based on the recipe files from the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies and the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 21. The adequacy level was determined based on Adequate Intake (AI) and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) established by the Institute of Medicine. The intake distributions of DS were determined using NHANES. Vitamin D intake (from food) of children ages 4-13 were more likely to meet the AI recommendation compared to adolescents and middle-age groups. Adults (ages 51+) had the lowest prevalence of vitamin D adequacy. However, use of DS improved the prevalence of nutrient adequacy. No evidence of total vitamin D (food plus DS) intake above the UL was observed, except at the 99th percentile for ages 51-70. Public health education efforts should emphasize meeting the recommended vitamin D level for the US population.