Search Results (5)

Background/Objectives: Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, has a broad physiological effect, and its deficiency has been identified as a risk factor for many diseases. This study aimed to analyze the dietary intake of vitamin D and the factors determining its intake among Polish post-primary school students. The data obtained were then related to the dietary recommendations for the Polish population. Methods: The study was conducted on a nationwide sample of 3257 male adolescents (aged 14–20 years) recruited from all macroregions of Poland. Dietary vitamin D intake (dVDi) was assessed using the Vitamin D Estimation Only–Food Frequency Questionnaire (VIDEO-FFQ). Results: The median dietary intake of vitamin D was 4.36 µg daily. This value was below the recommended intake of 15 µg of vitamin D, according to Polish standards, in almost 80% of the study group. The observed dietary vitamin D intake bellow the recommended level ranged from 35.5% of students attending schools in the North-Western macroregion to 93.7% in the Central macroregion, from 45.4% of students attending schools located in the countryside to 92.7% in big cities, from 85.3% among underweight students to 76.7% of obese students, over 77% in both age groups (14–17 and 18–20 years old), and over 78% in both groups: supplementing and not supplementing vitamin D. Fish and fish products provided the highest vitamin D (38.7%), while cereal products and fats provided the lowest (4.49% and 4.35%, respectively). The highest amounts of vitamin D were provided by salmon, rainbow trout, herring, and eel (fish species containing 7–15 µg of vitamin D in 100 g of product), and halibut, mackerel, brook trout, sole, and tuna (fish species containing 1.05–4 µg of vitamin D in 100 g of product), and these fish were consumed in the largest quantities by male adolescents. Dietary vitamin D intake was notably higher in adolescents from the North-Western macroregion of Poland (median: 50.57 vs. 3.72–5.18 µg daily for other macroregions), those attending schools in the countryside (median: 49.49 vs. 3.97–4.39 µg daily for other locations of the school), those with a normal body weight (median: 4.59 vs. 3.38 µg daily for adolescents with underweight), and those who took vitamin D supplements (median: 4.71 vs. 4.06 µg daily for adolescents not supplemented with vitamin D). However, the results showed that dVDi was not dependent on age. Conclusions: The study results indicate that low dVDi among Polish male adolescents can be attributed to the limited supply of vitamin D from dietary sources, especially fish and fish products. The necessity for interventions has been identified, including nutritional education on the role of vitamin D and its sources in the diet. Full article

Vitamin D has a pleiotropic effect and its deficiency is a risk factor for many diseases. The purpose of this study was to analyze the dietary intake of vitamin D and the factors determining this intake by female post-primary school students in Poland. The study was conducted on a nationwide sample of 4469 female Polish adolescents (aged 14–20) recruited from all regions across Poland. The vitamin D intake was assessed using VIDEO-FFQ (Vitamin D Estimation Only—Food Frequency Questionnaire). The median dietary vitamin D intake was 2.33 μg per day and it was lower than the 15 μg recommended in Poland for more than 98% of the group. The highest vitamin D intake per day was noted for fish (0.52 μg), whereas the lowest was noted for fats (0.04 μg). Factors that influenced the dietary vitamin D intake were the amount and species of fish consumed, region of residence, use of vitamin D supplements, and vegetarian or vegan diets. In contrast, vitamin D intake did not depend on body mass index and age. Based on the results of the survey, it can be concluded that the alarmingly low intake of vitamin D by Polish female adolescents is a result of the limited supply of vitamin D primarily from fish and fish products. This may be due to insufficient nutritional knowledge, indicating an urgent need to educate the surveyed population in this area. Full article

The recommendations of vitamin D intake are commonly not met, which results from the fact that fish, being its major sources, are commonly rarely consumed. Consequently, a reliable estimation of its habitual intake is also difficult, as its daily intake is highly variable. The aim of the study was to analyze vitamin D intake from food, its major sources and the possibility to meet its recommendations in a population-based sample of young Polish women. The study was conducted in a sample of Polish women aged 15–30 years, recruited in cooperation with local students’ and youth organizations from all regions of Poland (convenience sampling with the snowball effect), while the stratified sampling procedure was applied with a random quota sampling for voivodeships (an administrative subdivision), to obtain an adequate distribution regarding the general population of young Polish women (n = 1,032). The vitamin D intake was assessed while using the validated Vitamin D Estimation Only—Food Frequency Questionnaire (VIDEO-FFQ) and was compared with the recommended 10 µg. The median vitamin D intake in the study group was 3.09 µg (0.00–24.52 µg) and in 95% of participants was lower than recommended, while the highest vitamin D intake was observed for the following sources: eggs (0.50 µg), meat and meat products (0.49 µg), herring, sardine and tuna products (0.41 µg) and dairy products (0.40 µg). The correlation between total vitamin D intake and its intake from its sources was strongest for eggs (p < 0.0001; R = 0.5989) and for herring, sardine and tuna products (p < 0.0001; R = 0.5314), while the correlation between total vitamin D intake and the number of servings was strongest for herring, sardine and tuna products (p < 0.0001; R = 0.5314). At the same time, while compared with other fish species, consuming herring was the strongest predictor of meeting the recommended vitamin D level of 10 µg (p = 0.0292; odds ratio (OR) = 1.94; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–3.52), but also of 5 µg (p < 0.0001; OR = 2.54; 95% CI 1.85–3.47). Therefore, taking into account the relatively low prices of herring, its high vitamin D content, as well as its influence on total vitamin D intake, it could be beneficial to recommend young women to increase herring intake in order to increase dietary vitamin D intake and to meet its recommendations. Full article

Although the role of vitamin D is well known, the possibility of assessing its intake may be constricted in countries with no vitamin D data in food composition tables, as in the case of Croatia. The aim of the presented study was to adjust the VIDEO-FFQ (Vitamin D Estimation Only—Food Frequency Questionnaire), previously validated in Poland, to the Croatian population and to assess the validity and reproducibility of the adjusted Cro-VIDEO-FFQ (Croatian—VIDEO-FFQ). The study involved a group of Croatian women aged 20–30 and the Polish questionnaire was adjusted for a population due to similarities of the nutritional habits between countries. 106 individuals were recruited and 63 completed all the stages of the study. Participants conducted a 3-day dietary record and filled out the Cro-VIDEO-FFQ1 (first stage), as well as the same questionnaire (Cro-VIDEO-FFQ2) 6 weeks after (second stage). The following vitamin D intakes were observed in the studied group: 1.9 µg (0.2–8.0 µg) for 3-day dietary record, 3.3 µg (1.1–10.6 µg) for Cro-VIDEO-FFQ1, 3.6 µg (1.4–7.8 µg) for Cro-VIDEO-FFQ2. The Bland-Altman indexes in assessment of validity and reproducibility were 4.8% and 6.3%, respectively, with mean differences of 0.55 µg and 0.12 µg, as well as limits of agreement −0.91–2.01 µg and −0.44–0.69 µg. The kappa coefficient indicated a fair agreement for validity (0.21) and substantial for reproducibility (0.62), while correlations were significant (p = 0.0027, r = 0.37 for validity; p < 0.0001, r = 0.80 for reproducibility). It was observed that VIDEO-FFQ may be adjusted as a simple tool to assess vitamin D intake in a population with no vitamin D data in food composition tables, while Cro-VIDEO-FFQ may be a valid tool for nutritional assessment in Croatia. Full article

Due to inadequate intake of Vitamin D, identification of individuals characterised by the highest risk of deficiencies is one of the more crucial tasks for public health. The aim of the presented study was to assess the validity and reproducibility of the designed Vitamin D dietary intake questionnaire based on food frequency assessment—VIDEO-FFQ (VItamin D Estimation Only—Food Frequency Questionnaire) in a group of Polish women aged 20–30 years. Seventy-five participants kept a three-day dietary record and filled out the VIDEO-FFQ twice (immediately after the three-day dietary record and after six weeks). The assessment of validity and reproducibility was conducted by verifying standard errors of estimation, median differences, and percentages of individuals classified into tertiles, correlations and Bland-Altman plots. The Vitamin D intake for the majority of the surveyed women was inadequate as over 85% of them were characterised by values of intake lower than 5.0 μg per day. The results allowed concluding that a high accuracy of the VIDEO-FFQ was achieved. The required Bland-Altman index values lower than 5.0% were obtained, confirming satisfactory validity and reproducibility. The VIDEO-FFQ may be deemed a convenient practical tool for the estimation of Vitamin D intake in young women. Full article