Vitamin D intakes in 18-64-y-old Irish adults.

OBJECTIVE:: To estimate vitamin D intakes in a representative sample of Irish adults and to assess the contribution of foods to these intake estimates. DESIGN:: Vitamin D intakes in 1379, 18-64-y-old adults from the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey were estimated using a combination of new analytical data for vitamin D in foods, determined by HPLC, and used to revise recipe calculations, together with existing data from McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, 5th Edition plus supplements. RESULTS:: The total mean daily intake (MDI) of vitamin D (1?µg=40?IU) from all sources was 4.2?µg. The MDI was significantly higher (P<0.001) when the contribution from nutritional supplements was included (4.2?µg) compared with food sources only (3.2?µg). Men had significantly higher intakes (4.4?µg) than women (4.0?µg; P<0.001), which increased significantly (P<0.001) with age in both sexes. Meat/meat products (30.1%), fish/fish products (14.3%) and eggs/egg dishes (9.1%) were the main contributors to vitamin D intake. Supplements contributed 6.8 and 12%to MDI in men and women, respectively. In all, 74%of adults had an MDI of vitamin D that was less than the median (5?µg) of the recommended daily range of 0-10?µg. CONCLUSION:: The findings of this study suggest that a large number of Irish adults have low vitamin D intakes. This, along with emerging evidence of low vitamin D status in at least some population subgroups, suggests that strategies to increase vitamin D intakes, including fortification of food, should be investigated.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004) 58, 1509-1517. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602001 Published online 12 May 2004 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]