Vitamin D levels increasing in US elderly, whites, and women – CDC Nov 2016

The vitamin D status of the US population from 1988 to 2010 using standardized serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D shows recent modest increases

Am J Clin Nutr 2016;104:454-61.

The Users increased somewhat ~45% are <30 ng
The Nonusers are vitually unchanged: ~60% are <30 ng

Rosemary L Schleicher, Maya R Sternberg,4 David A Lacher, Christopher T Sempos, Anne C Looker,5 Ramon A Durazo-Arvizu,6 Elizabeth A Yetley,6 Madhulika Chaudhary-Webb,4 Khin L Maw,4 Christine M Pfeiffer,4 cfp8 at cdc.gov and Clifford L Johnson5
4 National Center for Environmental Health and the
5 National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, Atlanta, GA; and the
6 Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH, Bethesda, MD

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Background: Temporal trends in the US population’s vitamin D status have been uncertain because of nonstandardized serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] measurements.

Objective: To accurately assess vitamin D status trends among those aged $12 y, we used data from the cross-sectional NHANESs. Design: A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/ MS) method for measuring 25(OH)D (sum of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3), calibrated to standard reference materials, was used to predict LC-MS/MS-equivalent concentrations from radioimmunoassay data (1988-2006 surveys; n = 38,700) and to measure LC-MS/MS concentrations (2007-2010 surveys; n = 12,446). Weighted arithmetic means and the prevalence of 25(OH)D above or below cutoff concentrations were calculated to evaluate long-term trends.

Results: Overall, mean predicted 25(OH)D showed no time trend from 1988 to 2006, but during 2007-2010 the mean measured 25(OH)D was 5-6 nmol/L higher. Those groups who showed the largest 25(OH)D increases (7-11 nmol/L) were older, female, non- Hispanic white, and vitamin D supplement users. During 19882010, the proportions of persons with 25(OH)D <40 nmol/L were 14-18% (overall), 46-60% (non-Hispanic blacks), 21-28% (Mexican Americans), and 6-10% (non-Hispanic whites).

Conclusions: An accurate method for measuring 25(OH)D showed stable mean concentrations in the US population (1988-2006) and recent modest increases (2007-2010). Although it is unclear to what extent supplement usage compared with different laboratory methods explain the increases in 25(OH)D, the use of higher vitamin D supplement dosages coincided with the increase. Marked race-ethnic differences in 25(OH)D concentrations were apparent. These data provide the first standardized information about temporal trends in the vitamin D status of the US population. Am J Clin Nutr 2016;104:454-61.