Vitamin D status and supplementation in Antarctica: a systematic review and meta- analysis

Living at high latitudes is associated with vitamin D (VD) deficiency. An ideal setting to study this is the Antarctic continent, which has temporary inhabitants, but the magnitude of the effect of living in Antarctica and the effects of VD supplementation on this population remain unclear. We perfo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Circumpolar Health
Main Authors: Carolina Cabalín, Carolina Iturriaga, Guillermo Pérez-Mateluna, Denise Echeverría, Carlos A. Camargo Jr, Arturo Borzutzky
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2021
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2021.1926133
https://doaj.org/article/e32e5f224d7242b69a2604fdd2300971
Description
Summary:Living at high latitudes is associated with vitamin D (VD) deficiency. An ideal setting to study this is the Antarctic continent, which has temporary inhabitants, but the magnitude of the effect of living in Antarctica and the effects of VD supplementation on this population remain unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of temporary residence in Antarctica and impact of VD supplementation on VD status of this population. Random‐effects meta‐analyses were performed to assess serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration changes after Antarctic residence (13 studies, 294 subjects) and after VD supplementation (5 studies, 213 subjects). Serum 25(OH)D mean difference after temporary residence in Antarctica was -15.0 nmol/L (95%CI: -25.9, -4.2; I²=92%). Subgroup meta-analyses of studies evaluating Antarctic summer and winter stays showed 25(OH)D only decreases when overwintering (winter 25(OH)D change -17.0 nmol/L [95%CI: -24.1, -9.8; I²=83%] vs. summer 25(OH)D change 1.3 nmol/L [95%CI: -14.6, 17.1; I²=86%]). The meta-analysis of VD supplementation studies in Antarctica showed a mean 25(OH)D increase after supplementation of 10.8 nmol/L (95%CI: 3.3, 18.3; I²=88%). In conclusion, VD status significantly worsens after inhabiting Antarctica, particularly when over-wintering. VD supplementation can prevent worsening of VD status and should be considered in this population.