Vitamin D concentrations were often insufficient among native Norwegian adolescents and children with a non-Western immigrant background

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to review papers that assessed the vitamin D intake of children living in Norway, as research has suggested that it has remained below the recommended daily allowance of 10 μg/day. Methods: This mini review examined the vitamin D status of Norwegian children aged 0–18 years by systematically searching the PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus databases from 1 January 2009 to 1 July 2020. Results: The review comprised six studies published in English between 2009 and 2020 on native-born and non-Western immigrant children. Most studies defined satisfactory vitamin D status as a plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration of 50 nmol/L, with 25–50 nmol/L being classified as insufficient and below 25 nmol/L being classified as deficient. A study of healthy children found that 21% had insufficient levels and a further 1% were deficient, but this second finding was only among adolescents. Other studies showed that 47% of Norwegian children with a non-Western immigrant background were deficient, and so were 19% of overweight children, mainly adolescents. Conclusion: Vitamin D concentrations were often insufficient among children living in Norway, particularly adolescents and those with a non-Western immigrant background. Higher recommended supplements may be needed.