Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Vitamin D is a vital hormone for calcium metabolism, bone and muscle health, and immune responses. Vitamin D deficiency affects entire Latvian population.

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of different forms of vitamin D.

Materials and methods: In a prospective, open-label, randomized study in the Jaunliepaja Primary Health Care Centre, data from 98 vitamin D deficient volunteers over one month at initiation of substitution with 4000 IU (100 mcg) Colecalciferol was analyzed. The efficacy of the peroral oil, lanolin-derived microemulsion sublingual spray and peroral capsules dissolved in sunflower oil was evaluated by comparing patient data with age, BMI, renal function.

Results: Among 98 volunteers with total 25(OH) D vitamin levels below 30 ng/ml, mean 18.30±7.01 ng/ml, and BMI below 35 kg/m², mean age 39.34±13.01 years, 60.2% were female. After one month of intervention, the increase in vitamin D in all groups was 13.21±11.82 ng/ml (95% CI, P=5.72×10⁻⁶). In oil group 14.98±13.58, using capsules 11.06±7.13 and in spray group 9.97±7.73 ng/ml accordingly. In the capsule group, an inversely related – slower increase in vitamin D was observed in the elderly (−0.36, P=4.53×10⁻²) and in participants with a higher body mass index (BMI) (−0.40, P=2.30×10⁻²), but the spray group higher increase in vitamin D levels was in participants with a higher glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (0.37, P=2.93×10⁻²).

Conclusions: An increase in vitamin D levels was observed in all groups after one month of supplementation, and the formulation did not statistically significantly affect the overall outcome. There was at least one respondent with negative vitamin D dynamics in each group. In the capsule group, the changes in vitamin D were statistically significantly inversely related to the respondent’s age and BMI – the younger the person, the more pronounced the increase in vitamin D, similarly, the lower the BMI, the higher the increase in vitamin D. In the spray group, a statistically significant correlation was found between the increase in vitamin D and higher GFR.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: Pharm&med Ltd.

Keywords: Vitamin D, overweight, age, renal function.