Effect of Summer Sunshine Exposure on Vitamin D Status in Young and Middle Age Poles: Is 30 ng/mL Vitamin D Cut-Off Really Suitable for the Polish Population?

Magdalena Basińska-Lewandowska, Andrzej Lewiński, Wojciech Horzelski and Elżbieta Skowrońska-Jóźwiak
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Magdalena Basińska-Lewandowska: “Your Family Doctor”, General Practice Surgery, 93-324 Lodz, Poland
Andrzej Lewiński: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital—Research Institute, 93-338 Lodz, Poland
Wojciech Horzelski: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Lodz, 90-238 Lodz, Poland
Elżbieta Skowrońska-Jóźwiak: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital—Research Institute, 93-338 Lodz, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-9

Abstract: Background: There is no consensus regarding vitamin sufficiency status with either 20 ng/mL or 30 ng/mL sufficiency cut-off. We assessed the effects of summer sunshine exposure on vitamin D status. Participants: We measured vitamin D concentrations, PTH, creatinine, and total calcium in 132 healthy subjects, age 29.36 ± 13.57 years, in spring and autumn. Results: There was an overall increase in vitamin D concentrations from spring to autumn from 18.1 ± 7.39 ng/mL to 24.58 ± 7.72 ng/mL, ( p < 0.001), accompanied by a decrease in PTH from 44.4 ± 17.76 pg/mL to 36.6 ± 14.84 pg/mL, ( p < 0.001). In spring, only 5.3% of individuals were vitamin D sufficient for a 30 ng/mL cut-off, increasing to 23.2% in autumn ( p < 0.001). In contrast, when a 20 ng/mL cut-off was employed, vitamin D sufficiency was found in 34.1% in spring and 66.4% individuals in autumn, respectively, ( p < 0.001). In multiple regression analysis, holiday leave was the only significant determinant of vitamin D increase ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: Holiday leave is the strongest determinant of an increase in vitamin D. The majority of healthy individuals fail to reach a 30 ng/mL vitamin D cut-off after summer sunshine exposure. This raises the question, whether such a cut-off is indeed suitable for the Polish population.

Keywords: vitamin D deficiency; vitamin D insufficiency; optimal cut-off; prevalence; healthy population (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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