Spanish women in menopause may not be obtaining recommended levels of vitamins D and E

The average total vitamin D intake of Spanish women in menopause is only 39% of the recommended intake, says a new Spanish study.

In the observational study, the dietary habits of 3,574 women between the ages of 45 and 68 were documented (1). The study results showed that the women received the recommended intake of all the vitamins via food and/or supplements, with the exception of vitamins D and E. The average total intake of vitamin D was 2.14 micrograms per day, which is just 39% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for women of this age group. None of the women reached the RDA of 50%.

The researchers commented that the findings were striking and that the very low intakes could indicate that the women have a low vitamin status. However, it would be necessary to measure the blood vitamin concentrations before such a speculation could be confirmed.

1. García-Arenzana N. et al. Compliance with current dietary recommendations and geographical variability of diet in women participating in 7 screening programs for breast cancer in Spain. Nutr. Hosp. 2011; 26(4).