Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient primarily synthesised through sun exposure and found in certain foods. Nonetheless, an excessive focus on preventing sunburn has led to a significant issue: vitamin D deficiency, particularly among young women in Japan.
The deficiency of this essential vitamin is linked not only to individual health concerns but also to broader public health issues, including pregnancy-induced hypertension and low birth weight among newborns. Identifying individuals at high risk promptly and providing them with proper health advice is of utmost importance. However, the prevalent method for determining serum vitamin D levels involves costly and invasive procedures, highlighting a pressing need to develop more straightforward, cost-effective risk assessment tools.
In response to this need, a research initiative headed by Professor Akiko Kuwabara at the Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology undertook a comprehensive cross-sectional survey. The study encompassed 583 Japanese women aged between 18 and 40, all affiliated with a university specialising in nutrition. The survey collected data on various factors, including age, residential area, the timing of blood sample collection, medical history, medication use, smoking and drinking habits, exercise frequency, sun exposure, fish consumption frequency, and vitamin D supplements.
A dietary survey was conducted utilising the self-administered Dietary History Questionnaire (DHQ), and the data on average and cumulative ultraviolet irradiation exposure for the 30 days preceding the blood collection was also gathered for each participant’s region. Through these comprehensive data collections, Professor Kuwabara’s team successfully developed the Vitamin D Deficiency Predicting Scoring system (ViDDPreS), a novel, non-invasive, and economical tool for assessing vitamin D deficiency risks in young women.
Professor Kuwabara commented on the development of ViDDPreS, emphasising its utility in identifying populations that require intervention at minimal cost and its capacity to pinpoint the contributory factors to vitamin D deficiency. She also noted the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in those found to be deficient. The introduction of ViDDPreS is expected to facilitate the targeted use of supplements, thereby ensuring that those in need receive appropriate nutritional support. This approach helps address the immediate deficiencies and contributes to broader health improvements among the population at risk.
More information: Akiko Kuwabara et al, Development of a predictive scoring system for vitamin D deficiency ‘Vitamin D Deficiency Predicting Scoring (ViDDPreS)’ based on the vitamin D status in young Japanese women: a nationwide cross-sectional study, Public Health Nutrition. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980024001708
Journal information: Public Health Nutrition Provided by Osaka Metropolitan University
