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Vitamin D DRI for children lowered to 200 IU in Korea – Jan 2013

Adequate vitamin D status and adiposity contribute to bone health in peripubertal nonobese children.

J Bone Miner Metab. 2013 Jan 31.
Lee YA, Kim JY, Kang MJ, Chung SJ, Shin CH, Yang SW.
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-769, Korea.

The dietary reference intake (DRI) of vitamin D for Korean children was reduced from 400 IU/day in 2005 to 200 IU/day in 2010.

We evaluated the risk factors for low 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] status and its relationships with bone health in peripubertal nonobese children living in Seoul or Gyeonggi-do. One hundred children (9.3 ± 1.9 years, 71 prepubertal, 45 boys) participated in the winter (n = 38, December through March) and summer (June through September). Bone mineral content (Z_BMC), fat mass (Z_FM), lean mass (Z_LM), and bone mineral density for the total body (Z_TB) and lumbar spine (Z_L1-4) were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Twenty-nine percent of children (47.4 % in winter, 17.7 % in summer) were vitamin D deficient (25(OH)D level of <20 ng/mL). The winter season (P = 0.008) and low vitamin D intake (P = 0.044) were associated with low 25(OH)D level. The 25(OH)D level correlated positively with Z_BMC (P = 0.040), Z_TB (P = 0.027), and Z_L1-4 (P = 0.045) independently of sex, puberty, Z_FM, Z_LM, physical activity level, and calcium intake. Z_FM correlated independently with Z_BMC (P < 0.001), Z_TB (P = 0.037), and Z_L1-4 (P < 0.001).

In conclusion, almost half of peripubertal nonobese children were vitamin D deficient in winter.
Adequate vitamin D status and adiposity contributed to good bone health in nonobese children.

Considering the beneficial effects of adequate vitamin D status on bone health, the current DRI may be insufficient for preventing vitamin D deficiency in winter among Korean children.

PMID: 23371560


Korea appears to have the distinction of having the smallest Vitamin D DRI on the planet


Note by Admin of VitaminDWiki
When visiting Korea in 2011 the largest Vitamin D capsule I could find was 40 IU

See also VitaminDWiki