Title |
Vitamin D Insufficiency in Greenlanders on a Westernized Fare: Ethnic Differences in Calcitropic Hormones Between Greenlanders and Danes
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Published in |
Calcified Tissue International, December 2003
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DOI | 10.1007/s00223-003-0110-9 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
L. Rejnmark, M. E. Jørgensen, M. B. Pedersen, J. C. Hansen, L. Heickendorff, A. L. Lauridsen, G. Mulvad, C. Siggaard, H. Skjoldborg, T. B. Sørensen, E. B. Pedersen, L. Mosekilde |
Abstract |
We studied the influence of age, gender, latitude, season, diet and ethnicity on plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25 OHD, PTH, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, vitamin D-binding protein, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin levels in 46 Greenlanders living in Nuuk (64 degrees N) on a traditional fare (group A), 45 Greenlanders living in Nuuk on a westernized fare (group B), 54 Greenlanders (group C), and 43 Danes (Group D) living in Denmark (55 degrees N) on a westernized fare. Blood specimens were drawn both summer and winter. Vitamin D insufficiency (plasma 25 OHD <40 nmol/l) was common in all four study groups during summer (23-74%) and winter (42-81%). Compared to groups A and D, vitamin D insufficiency was significantly more frequent in groups B and C. In all groups, summer levels of 25 OHD were above winter levels. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant effect of ethnicity. Compared to Danes, Greenlanders had higher 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels, but lower 25 OHD and PTH levels despite relatively low plasma calcium concentrations. In addition to ethnicity, 25(OH)D levels were influenced by age, season (summer > winter), and diet (a traditional Inuit diet>westernized diet). Ethnic differences exist between Greenlanders and Danes. Our results suggest that Greenlanders may have an inherent lower "set-point" for calcium-regulated PTH release or an enhanced renal 1,25(OH)(2)D production. In addition to ethnicity, age, season, and diet were important determinants of vitamin D status. Changes from a traditional to a westernized fare are associated with a reduced vitamin D status in Greenlanders. Vitamin D supplementation should be considered. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 2 | 4% |
Denmark | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 44 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 10 | 21% |
Researcher | 8 | 17% |
Professor | 5 | 11% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 4 | 9% |
Student > Bachelor | 4 | 9% |
Other | 5 | 11% |
Unknown | 11 | 23% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 12 | 26% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 6 | 13% |
Social Sciences | 4 | 9% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 4% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 2 | 4% |
Other | 8 | 17% |
Unknown | 13 | 28% |