Vitamin D Supplementation

-
Dietary intake of Vitamin D-3 is a topic that hasn’t been thoroughly researched in the past. With vitamin D playing an important role in bone health, it is crucial for health care researchers to determine optimal absorption from a supplemental source for clinical patients that are at risk for deficiency. The aim of this study published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics was to determine if plasma vitamin D levels would be significantly impacted by a meal containing dietary fat. This study utilized three groups all containing a vitamin D supplement. The three groups were a non-fat including meal, a meal high in Monounsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA), and a meal high in Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) meal. The participants used for the study were male and female adults over the age of 50 (50 total participants) spread across all three groups. Following a 12 hour fast, the participant consumed a 50,000 IU Vitamin D supplement along with their group indicated meal. The plasma vitamin D levels were taken before the meal, 10, 12, and 14 hours later. The results of the study indicated that Vitamin D absorption was significantly (32%) greater in subjects consuming meals with fat. Absorption wasn’t significantly altered by the fatty acid type (MUFA vs PUFA).

Though further research is needed to determine the optimum absorption of the supplement (necessary amount of fat needed and dosage of vitamin D), these results can be used by dietitians to effectively provide diet prescriptions for patients that are supplementing with a Vitamin D supplement.

-LL


Dawson-Hughes, B., Harris, S. S., Lichtenstein, A. H., Dolnikowski, G., Palermo, N. J., & Rasmussen, H. Dietary fat increases vitamin D-3 absorption. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(2), 225-230.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are All Sugars Created Equal?

-
Image
Are All Sugars Created Equal?  I think one of the most confusing nutrition topics for people is sugar. With so many conflicting stories out there, it’s difficult to separate the facts from the fiction. Not to mention, the types of sugars are endless. How do we know what’s best for our bodies? White or brown sugar? Cane or raw? Should we just go with Stevia instead? Is it even okay to consume artificial sweeteners? Should we avoid foods with high amounts of natural sugar in them? Each answer only seems to lead to another question!  Let’s start off with distinguishing the purpose of sugar in the first place. Do our bodies even need it? The short answer is yes! Sugars are carbohydrates (what we commonly call “carbs”), one of the three main macronutrients that our bodies need for fuel to function and survive. One of the major ways to categorize sugar is by separating the “natural” sugars from the “added” sugars. Natural sugars are, well, naturally found in foods. They give us the energy th
Read more

Milk Mythbusters

-
Image
Just like with any nutrition topic, the facts about milk can become convoluted pretty quickly. Whether you drink milk for the protein, the nutrients, the flavor, or just like to switch it up, there are pros and cons to every kind. Here are some quick nutritional facts about each type to help you decide which is best for you. Animal-Based Milks  Whole Milk: The original diary drink. It gets a bad rap, but what whole milk has going for it, is that it’s in its proper nutritional form. Whole milk contains all of its original fat-soluble vitamins, A, E, D, & K, along with the fat to help you absorb them all. It also has the proper concentrations and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or your omega-3s and omega-6s, so that they are metabolized as they should be. The downside is that whole milk is calorically dense, meaning that a little goes a long way. You don’t need much to get what you need, so just don’t overdo it!  2% Milk: The fat content of 2% milk is about half of that in who
Read more