Vitamin D in young Danish children

Time28 September 2018, 13:00

Place
Aud. B011, University College Copenhagen, Sigurdsgade 26, 2200 Copenhagen N

Opponents
Professor Susanne Bügel (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Senior Scientist Rikke Andersen, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark

Associate Professor Hope Weiler, School of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Canada

Supervisor
Associate Professor Camilla Trab Damsgaard, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Co-supervisors
Professor Christian Mølgaard, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Associate Professor Michael Kristensen, Department of Nursing & Nutrition, Faculty of Health, University College Copenhagen, Denmark

About the thesis
Low vitamin D status is prevalent during winter among children living at northern latitudes. However, the exact amount of vitamin D required by children is currently unknown. Moreover, there is a knowledge gap when it comes to the potential health consequences of a low vitamin D status in children during winter.

In this PhD thesis, the relation between vitamin D intake and the concentration of vitamin D in the blood is examined, in order to estimate the requirement of vitamin D in children. Moreover, it is investigated if winter vitamin D supplementation has an effect on children’s muscle strength and selected growth factors.

The PhD thesis shows that muscle strength in healthy children aged 4-8 years is not influenced by a daily vitamin D supplementation during winter; however, the concentration of some growth factors is affected.

Read more: https://nexs.ku.dk/english/calendar/2018/phd_charlotte-mortensen/