Use of Fortified Bread for Addressing Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency due to inadequate sun exposure and/or inadequate intake from food is very common worldwide, consisting a major public health problem. As prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation involves risks, food fortification of staple foods emerges as a favorable solution for addressing vitamin D deficiency. Bread is a suitable candidate for fortification as it is consumed often and is the main carbohydrate source in European countries.The purpose of this study was the evaluation of the bioavailability of vitamin D from a fortified Greek-type bread that was developed as a means for addressing vitamin D deficiency, by comparing the absorption curve of vitamin D in fortified bread in relation to that of plain vitamin supplementation. Two groups of clinically healthy volunteers consumed 25,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) either in fortified bread (Group A) or in a plain supplement form (Group B). The baseline plasma concentrations of cholecalciferol were 8.1 +/- 6.0 ng/mL and 6.8 +/- 3.4 ng/mL in Groups A and B, respectively. After 12, 24, and 48 h, the concentrations of cholecalciferol in Group A were 16.7 +/- 4.8, 15.3 +/- 8.3 and 11.9 +/- 6.0 ng/mL, respectively, and in Group B, 15.2 +/- 3.3, 11.6 +/- 2.4, and 9.6 +/- 3.6 ng/mL, respectively. In both groups, the concentrations of cholecalciferol at 12 and 24 h were significantly higher than the baseline concentrations (p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between the concentrations of cholecalciferol between Groups A and B, at each time point.Cholecalciferol is bioavailable from Greek-type fortified bread and bread could be used for addressing vitamin D deficiency.