Vitamin D Status and Immune Health Outcomes in a Cross-Sectional Study and a Randomized Trial of Healthy Young Children

Abstract

In young children, the relationship between vitamin D and biomarkers of immune function is not well elucidated. The objective was to investigate relationships between vitamin D and immune function in young children. Data were from a cross-sectional study (study 1) of healthy children 1.8⁻5.9 years (<i>n</i> = 457) and a 12 weeks trial using vitamin D fortified foods (study 2) in healthy 1.8⁻8.7 years old (<i>n</i> = 77) in Montreal, Canada. Vitamin D status and ex vivo immune function were assessed. In study 1 (male: <i>n</i> = 242; 53%), plasma IL-6, TNFα and CRP were significantly higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in children with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) ≥ 75 nmol/L compared to.