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Vitamin D Enriched Foods
Category: Diet and Nutrition
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that is involved in bone metabolism in the body as well as many other functions that are not fully understood. Humans do not need to supplement with Vitamin D if they are exposed to adequate amounts of sunlight, because a chemical reaction in the skin cells actually produces Vitamin D3 in adequate amounts, if sun exposure is achieved. There are also natural food sources of Vitamin D, including egg yolks, fish oils, and several plants.
Still, Vitamin D deficiencies are a prevalent problem, especially in areas of the world with longer winter seasons and less sunny, warm weather. Some foods are enriched with Vitamin D to help combat the deficiency such as milk (cow's milk). Many adults may not drink milk, so they may be at risk for a deficiency.
Bread is a food that is eaten universally around the world by most every person. Researchers in Finland wanted to determine if bread enriched with Vitamin D could improve the Vitamin D status in humans. They designed a study using both a low fiber and high fiber bread enriched with Vitamin D3. The participants were given the enriched bread, one or the other, and compared to supplemental Vitamin D (in capsule form). Each of these groups was compared to placebo.
They found that the concentration of Vitamin D increased in the participants given the enriched bread equal to that of those given the Vitamin D supplement. The overall increase in concentration was significant when compared to placebo.
They also determined that there were no side effects from the enriched bread, it was well tolerated and safe. The levels of Vitamin D were uniform throughout the bread. Other hormones in the body such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) are not adversely affected.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on September 4, 2013 11:00 AM
