Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Short Communication
  • Published:

Seasonal variations of vitamin D status in Greek postmenopausal women receiving enriched dairy products for 30 months: the Postmenopausal Health Study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 65, pages 412–414 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

The effectiveness of a 30-month dietary intervention on vitamin D status of Greek postmenopausal women was examined. Sixty-six postmenopausal women (55–65 years old) were randomized into an intervention group (IG), receiving a daily dose of 7.5 μg of vitamin D3 for 12 months that increased to 22.5 μg for the remaining 18 months of intervention through fortified dairy products and attending nutrition and lifestyle counselling sessions, and a control group (CG). After 30 months of intervention, during winter, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels significantly decreased in the CG while remained in the same high levels as in the summer period in the IG. Similarly, at 30 months of intervention the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was significantly higher in the CG compared to the IG (60.0 vs 25.0%, P=0.006). In conclusion, the current intervention scheme with a daily dose of 22.5 μg of Vitamin D could significantly decrease the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency during winter time but not entirely prevent it.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Calvo MS, Whiting SJ (2003). Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in Canada and the United States: importance to health status and efficacy of current food fortification and dietary supplement use. Nutr Rev 61, 107–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calvo MS, Whiting SJ, Barton CN (2005). Vitamin D intake: a global perspective of current status. J Nutr 135, 310–316.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heaney RP, Davies KM, Chen TC, Holick MF, Barger-Lux MJ (2003). Human serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol response to extended oral dosing with cholecalciferol. Am J Clin Nutr 77, 204–210.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Manios Y, Moschonis G, Trovas G, Lyritis GP (2007). Changes in biochemical indexes of bone metabolism and bone mineral density after a 12-mo dietary intervention program: the Postmenopausal Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 86, 781–789.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moschonis G, Tanagra S, Koutsikas K, Nikolaidou A, Androutsos O, Manios Y (2009). Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and body composition in postmenopausal women: the postmenopausal Health Study. Menopause 16, 701–707.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosekilde L (2005). Vitamin D and the elderly. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 62, 265–281.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • National Institute of Health (1994). NIH Consensus conference. Optimal calcium intake. NIH Consensus Development Panel on optimal calcium intake. JAMA 272, 1942–1948.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapuri PB, Kinyamu HK, Gallagher JC, Haynatzka V (2002). Seasonal changes in calciotropic hormones, bone markers, and bone mineral density in elderly women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87, 2024–2032.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van der Wielen RP, Lowik MR, van den Berg H, de Groot LC, Haller J, Moreiras O et al. (1995). Serum vitamin D concentrations among elderly people in Europe. Lancet 346, 207–210.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whiting SJ, Calvo MS (2005). Dietary recommendations for vitamin D: a critical need for functional end points to establish an estimated average requirement. J Nutr 135, 304–309.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Eva Grammatikaki, Ioanna Katsaroli and Paraskevi Kannelou, dietitians, as well as Sofia Tanagra, technician, for their valuable contribution in data collection and processing. The study was supported by a research grant from Friesland Foods Hellas. The study sponsor had no role in the study design; the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; the writing of the manuscript; the submission and revision of the paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Y Manios & G Moschonis

  2. Laboratory for the Research of the Musculoskeletal System, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    G P Lyritis

Authors
  1. Y Manios
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G Moschonis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G P Lyritis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Y Manios.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

YM also works as a science and nutrition consultant for Friesland Campina Hellas. None of the other authors had any potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Contributors: All authors equally contributed to the study design, data collection and management, statistical analysis, interpretation of results and writing of the paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Manios, Y., Moschonis, G. & Lyritis, G. Seasonal variations of vitamin D status in Greek postmenopausal women receiving enriched dairy products for 30 months: the Postmenopausal Health Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 65, 412–414 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.270

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.270

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links