{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T14:55:12Z","timestamp":1787064912077,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,4]],"date-time":"2022-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1659571200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":3,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,20]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there have been plausible suggestions about the need to augment vitamin D intake by supplementation in order to prevent SARS-CoV2 infection and reduce mortality. Some groups have advocated supplementation for all adults, but governmental agencies have advocated targeted supplementation. We sought to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on both vitamin D status and on the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>University hospital, Dublin, Ireland.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Laboratory-based samples of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) (n=100\u2009505).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Primary and secondary outcome measures<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Primary outcomes: comparing yearly average 25OHD prior to the pandemic (April 2019 to March 2020) with during the pandemic (April 2020 to March 2021) and comparing the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements between 2017 and 2021 (n=2689). Secondary outcome: comparing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D excess during the two time periods.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The average yearly serum 25OHD measurement increased by 2.8\u2009nmol\/L (61.4, 95%\u2009CI 61.5 to 61.7 vs 58.6, 95%\u2009CI 58.4 to 58.9, p&lt;0.001), which was almost threefold higher than two similar trend analyses that we conducted between 1993 and 2016. There was a lower prevalence of low 25OHD and a higher prevalence of high 25OHD. The dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements was higher in the years 2020\u20132021 compared with the years 2017\u20132019 (p&lt;0.001).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We showed significant increases in serum 25OHD and in the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements. The frequency of low vitamin D status reduced indicating benefit, but the frequency of vitamin D excess increased indicating risk of harm. Rather than a blanket recommendation about vitamin D supplementation for all adults, we recommend a targeted approach of supplementation within current governmental guidelines to at-risk groups and cautioning consumers about adverse effects of high dose supplements on the market.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2021-059477","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,4]],"date-time":"2022-08-04T12:15:26Z","timestamp":1659615326000},"page":"e059477","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6564-7011","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Malachi J","family":"McKenna","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Chemistry, St Vincent's University Hospital, and UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1279-9732","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oonagh C","family":"Lyons","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0896-298X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mary AT","family":"Flynn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rachel K","family":"Crowley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Chemistry, St Vincent's University Hospital, and UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Patrick J","family":"Twomey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Chemistry, St Vincent's University Hospital, and UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mark T","family":"Kilbane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Chemistry, St Vincent's University Hospital, and UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025121411294243000_12.8.e059477.1","unstructured":"Committee to Review Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium, Institute of Medicine . 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