Environmental Factors and Vitamin D Status in Polish middle-aged women

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the vitamin D levels in a population of middle-aged of women residing in the south-eastern part of Poland. Environmental factors (age, education, place of residence and BMI) that could affect vitamin D levels in a population of studied women were also examined. Materials and method. The study was conducted at the Institute of Rural Health in Lublin, Poland, in a study group of women aged 45–65 years from the south-eastern part of the country. Serum lipids were determined using an automatic biochemistry analyzer and levels of 25(OH)D were measured using the 25OHD EIA assay Kits. Significance of the differences in quantitative characteristics was investigated using analysis of Man-Whitney test. Univariate correlations between the levels of 25(OH)D and variables were analyzed using the nonparametric Spearman test. Results. The average of 25(OH)D level in the studied participants was 25.7±14.4 ng/L; more than 59% of participants had vitamin D deficiency. In particular, the mean 25(OH)D level in group of women with vitamin D deficiency was 14.7±6.1 ng/L. The mean age of the patients was 53.9±5.2 years; average age range – 45–65 years. BMI averaged 26.1 ± 4.8 kg/m2. This was a highly educated group with an average of 12.7 ± 3.6 years of education, who lived mainly in towns (56.8%). Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency in healthy middle-aged Polish women is significantly related to BMI and education. In the general population, no significant relationship was found between environmental factors (age, education, place of residence and BMI) and vitamin D levels. Conclusion. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for middle-aged women