Effects of dietary vitamin D intake on plasma levels of parathyroid hormone and vitamin D metabolites in healthy Japanese.

To clarify the nutritional status of vitamin D in Japanese, effects of dietary intake of vitamin D on plasma levels of intact and highly sensitive parathyroid hormone (I-PTH and HS-PTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P(i)) in 79 healthy Japanese were investigated. The plasma levels of 25-OH-D in men were significantly higher than those in women, whereas those of HS-PTH in men were significantly lower than those in women. The levels of 25-OH-D in men were generally higher than those in women. Significant correlations were observed between the dietary vitamin D intake and the plasma 25-OH-D or HS-PTH levels. Correlations between the plasma 25-OH-D levels and the plasma HS-PTH levels were also significant. These results suggest that dietary intake of sufficient amounts of vitamin D is effective for improving the vitamin D nutritional status through normalizing PTH levels.