Vitamin D insufficiency in a population of healthy western Canadians

Short Description
Background: People with low levels of vitamin D and its metabolites are at in- … We evaluated the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, defined as 25- …

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Research
Recherche
From the Departments of
*Medical Science, ?Medicine
and ?Community Health
Sciences, University of
Calgary, Calgary, Alta.
This article has been peer reviewed.
CMAJ 2002;166(12):1517-24
?See related article page 1541
Abstract
Background: People with low levels of vitamin D and its metabolites are at increased
risk for osteoporotic fractures. We wished to ascertain levels of vitamin
D in a representative sample of adult western Canadians, to help assess the level
of risk. We evaluated the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, defined as 25-
hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] less than 40 nmol/L, and seasonal variations
in 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone and related biochemical indices in a
community-dwelling population of healthy Canadians living in Calgary (latitude
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