Evaluation of sun holiday, diet habits, origin and other factors as determinants of vitamin D status in Swedish primary health care patients: a cross-sectional study with regression analysis of ethnic Swedish and immigrant women.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in this observational study publication.

The purpose of their study was to identify contributors to vitamin D status in Swedish women attending a primary health care centre at latitude 60°N in Sweden.

Why It Was Studied

Determinants of vitamin D status measured as 25-OH-vitamin D in blood are exposure to sunlight and intake of vitamin D through food and supplements.

It is unclear how large the contributions are from these determinants in Swedish primary care patients, considering the low radiation of UVB in Sweden and the fortification of some foods.

Who Took Part

The study group was 61 patients.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, women only.

In this cross-sectional, observational study, 61 female patients were consecutively recruited between January and March 2009, irrespective of reason for attending the clinic.

The women were interviewed about their sun habits, smoking, education and food intake at a personal appointment and blood samples were drawn for measurements of vitamin D and calcium concentrations.

What Was Measured

Determinants of vitamin D status measured as 25-OH-vitamin D in blood are exposure to sunlight and intake of vitamin D through food and supplements.

It is unclear how large the contributions are from these determinants in Swedish primary care patients, considering the low radiation of UVB in Sweden and the fortification of some foods.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Africa, Eastern, Armenia, Bangladesh, Cohort Studies, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dietary Supplements and Emigrants and Immigrants.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is an observational study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 61 patients.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 4 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2013 (BMC family practice), a journal based in England.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.