Most in Canada have sufficient vitamin D

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OTTAWA, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- From 2009-11, 68 percent of Canadians had vitamin D blood levels sufficient for healthy bones, researchers say.

Teresa Janz and Caryn Pearson, analysts with the Health Statistics Division, used data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey. This survey collects direct physical measures of the Canadian population ages 3-79 from August 2009 to November 2011.

The findings, published in Health at a Glance, found 89 percent of children ages 3-5 had sufficient levels of vitamin D for bone health at levels at or above 50 nanomoles per liter.

Those ages 20-39 had the lowest percentage of sufficient vitamin D for proper bone at 59 percent.

In terms of concentrations, those youngest ages 3-11 and oldest age 60-79 had the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood, while generally, females had higher levels of vitamin D than males.

About one-third of Canadians took a supplement containing vitamin D. Overall, 85 percent of supplement users had levels of vitamin D above the cut-off, compared with 59 percent who did not take supplements.

During the winter months 60 percent of Canadians has sufficient vitamin D for bone health, compared with 75 percent in the summer.