The survey results are nutrition journalThese are the findings from a study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to update vitamin D recommendations for young children. The previous FAO-WHO vitamin D recommendation for this population in 2004 was 5 mg per day.
“The estimates of vitamin D requirements obtained from this study differ from previous recommendations due to differences in the body of evidence used, the thresholds chosen, the analyzes performed, and the types of recommendations derived. ”, the international research team wrote. “Compared to the 2004 FAO-WHO vitamin D recommendations for infants and young children, these new estimates from current modeling for the FAO-WHO update work reduce dietary requirements for vitamin D. It was derived based on more data.
Beyond Sun Exposure
Twenty years ago, FAO and WHO published global nutrient intake requirements, which many countries have incorporated into their food standards and dietary guidelines. In light of new evidence regarding vitamin D, FAO and WHO have decided to update their recommendations.
Additionally, vitamin D requirements to date have focused on areas where UV-B sunlight is minimal, such as the UK, Europe and the Nordic region. These organizations wanted to provide more comprehensive global vitamin D recommendations regardless of sun exposure.
“Considering sunlight exposure when setting vitamin D intake requirements is very difficult for a number of reasons. In particular, quantifying the contribution of sunlight exposure to serum 25OHD concentrations in the general population. “This is because they are often unable to be quantified,” the researchers pointed out.
Instead, they incorporated several systematic reviews into their mega-regression to establish this up-to-date information. The researchers used a randomized controlled trial of healthy children between 2 weeks and 3.9 years of age who took daily vitamin D supplements or vitamin D-fortified foods. A total of 31 studies from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia/Oceania with latitudes ranging from 61°N to 38°S were included. Participants likely had mild or moderate skin pigmentation. Twenty-nine of the studies included children who took vitamin D supplements, and in two of the studies, children took vitamin D-fortified milk with or without supplements.
One review focused on serum 25OHD as a useful biomarker of vitamin D status in these infants. Two of her other cases on breast milk vitamin D content and breast milk intake demonstrated new intake exposure data. Another review defined a serum 25OHD threshold to reduce nutritional rickets in young children.
Research limitations
The researchers identified several limitations in the study, including a lack of examination of skin pigmentation and its effect on skin vitamin D synthesis. Pigmentation was not reported in 42% of studies, but these studies may have included people with light or medium skin. Although a mix of different skin types were included, there were no participants with exclusively dark skin types.
This review highlights an important research gap in that very little data from Africa and South America has been published.
“The majority of the studies were conducted in countries where whites are the predominant racial group,” the researchers wrote. “This is a limitation inherent in the data, not the analysis. Nevertheless, agencies should consider this limitation when adjusting local conditions to these new estimates.” Regarding this, one cautious interpretation of current vitamin D intake estimates is that they are most protective for young children who do not synthesize vitamin D in their skin.
sauce: nutrition journal
doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.04.031
“Relationship between vitamin D intake and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in young children: Meta-regression to inform WHO/FAO vitamin D intake recommendations”
Author: Magali Rios-Leyvraz et al.
