Vitamin D status and parathyroid hormone concentrations in Chinese women and men from north-east of the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

Study objective: To evaluate vitamin D status of young and old women and men living in Shenyang, north-east People’s Republic of China in early spring and to explore the relationship between vitamin D metabolites and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in this population.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Shenyang, north-east China.

Subjects: 194 healthy volunteers: 48 young women and 48 young men aged 25–35 y, and 48 old women and 50 old men aged 65–75 y.

Results: Fasting blood samples were used to measure plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1, 25(OH)₂D) and PTH using radioimmunoassays. The proportion of subjects who could be regarded as vitamin D deficient (<25 nmol/l) was 48%, 29%, 15% and 13% for old men, young men, old women and young women, respectively. There was no association between plasma 1, 25(OH)₂D and 25(OH)D concentrations. PTH concentrations were elevated in both old women and men compared with young subjects (P<0.01). A negative association between PTH and 25(OH)D was only found in old women (P<0.001), but not in old men, nor in young subjects.

Conclusions: Vitamin D status was poor in this population in early spring, especially in men. There was no clear evidence to show that the secretion of PTH and the conversion of 1, 25(OH)₂D were affected by the low 25(OH)D concentration.

Sponsorship: Partly supported by the Sandoz Foundation for Gerontological Research and the Nestlé Foundation, Switzerland, and Medical Research Council, UK.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000) 54, 68–72