Associations of bone health biomarkers and bone mineral density with dietary intakes in vitamin D deficient women: a cross-sectional study.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011-

Vitamin D Deficiency*/epidemiology ; Vitamin D Deficiency*/blood ; Biomarkers*/blood ; Bone and Bones*/metabolism ; Bone Density* ; Diet*; Vitamin D/blood ; Vitamin D/analogs & derivatives ; Osteocalcin/blood ; Parathyroid Hormone/blood ; Calcium, Dietary/administration & dosage ; Alkaline Phosphatase/blood ; India/epidemiology ; Humans ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Sunlight

Vitamin D, an essential nutrient for bone health, is widely deficient in India despite abundant sunlight. The prevalence ranges between 70 and 90% in adult women. We studied the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency and the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, bone mineral density, and dietary intakes in young urban women. Among 220 women screened, 84.7% of participants had suboptimal vitamin D (64.5% deficient 20.2% insufficient). In 108 vitamin D deficient women, 75% reported below 15 min of daily sun exposure. Dietary calcium intake was 480.6 ± 117.7 mg/day. Serum 25(OH)D was negatively correlated with PTH (⍴ = - 0.364, p < 0.001) and osteocalcin (⍴ = - 0.342, p < 0.001). Osteocalcin was positively correlated with dietary calcium (⍴ = 0.228, p < 0.01), Ca: P (⍴ = 0.240, p < 0.01) and milk intake (⍴ = 0.226, p < 0.01). Positive associations were observed between osteocalcin and Ca: P ratio [β = 23.58, 95% CI: -0.614 to 47.771, p = 0.056] and with milk intake [β = 0.03, 95% CI: -0.001 to 0.065, p = 0.058]. The coexistence of vitamin D deficiency with inadequate calcium intake, and limited sun exposure, underscores the importance of strategies to promote calcium-rich diets and adequate sunlight practices to support bone health.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study adhered to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki, with approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of St. John’s Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, India (protocol code IEC Study Ref No: 370/2018; date of approval: 7 January 2019), for all procedures involving participants. Written informed consent was obtained from all individuals involved in the study.

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Keywords: Bone Biomarkers; Bone Mineral Density; Calcium; Osteocalcin; Sun Exposure; Vitamin D Deficiency

1406-16-2 (Vitamin D)
0 (Biomarkers)
104982-03-8 (Osteocalcin)
0 (Parathyroid Hormone)
A288AR3C9H (25-hydroxyvitamin D)
0 (Calcium, Dietary)
EC 3.1.3.1 (Alkaline Phosphatase)

Date Created: 20251205 Date Completed: 20251205 Latest Revision: 20251208

20260130

PMC12680615

10.1038/s41598-025-27321-1

41350544