Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Vitamin D insufficiency is prevalent in European populations, particularly in winter and among the elderly, with levels often falling below the threshold for optimal bone and muscle health.
If you live in Europe, especially in winter or if you are elderly, your Vitamin D levels are likely insufficient. This is common due to limited sun exposure and skin synthesis capacity. Consider monitoring levels and supplementing, as standard dietary intake is often insufficient.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
European children and young adults often have circulating 25(OH)D levels in the insufficiency range during wintertime. Elderly subjects have mean 25(OH)D levels in the insufficiency range throughout the year. In institutionalized subjects 25(OH)D levels are often in the deficiency range.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple cross-sectional studies cited in Table 2.
Source
Vitamin D in preventive medicine: are we ignoring the evidence?
Armin Zittermann · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2003
DOI 10.1079/bjn2003837
narrative_reviewCited 887×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is the superior biomarker for assessing Vitamin D status compared to calcitriol, as it reflects both sun exposure and dietary intake and correlates better with physiological outcomes like calcium absorption.Strong
- Vitamin D insufficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L) contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic diseases including osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, and supplementation can improve clinical outcomes in these conditions.Good
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