The vitamin D status of East Indian Punjabi immigrants to Canada

1. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), calcium and alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) levels and vitamin D intakes (from 3 d weighed dietary records) were determined in a cohort of fifty-nine male East Indian Punjabi immigrants (37.7 (SD 10.5) years) and fifty-four females (33.3 (SD 7.4) years). 2. Females had somewhat lower mean serum 25-OHD levels (12.3 (SD 5.0) v. 14.2 (SD 5.1) ng/ml, P less than 0.05) and serum Ca levels (88 (SD 8) v. 91 (SD 6) mg/l) than males (P less than 0.05) whereas serum alkaline phosphatase values (males 167 (SD 63), females 169 (SD 43) IU/l) and dietary vitamin D intakes (males 3.5 (SD 1.8), females 3.3 (SD 2.0) micrograms/d) were similar. 3. 22% of the females and 12% of the males had serum 25-OHD levels below 9.0 ng/ml but none had serum 25-OHD levels within the range associated with clinically overt disease. 4. In the males, serum 25-OHD levels were negatively correlated with dietary fibre intakes (g/d; r -0.29; P less than 0.05). 5. Multiple-regression analysis indicated that log serum 25-OHD levels were not related to dietary vitamin D intakes. Instead they were associated with sex and dietary fibre intakes (g/MJ) (F 3.71; P = 0.03). These two variables explained 8% of the variance.