News & Publications

Philadelphia (Sept. 15, 2006) – The levels of vitamin D present in fish is unexpectedly varied and is dependent on the source and method of preparation of the food, according to new data being presented today at the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Vitamin D is a factor that is essential for maintenance of normal bone health. Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a major problem for people of all ages and may be associated with weakening of bones and risk of skeletal deformities in children and fractures in adults. The USDA food chart states that there are 400-700 international units (IU) of Vitamin D 3 in 3.5 oz. of salmon.

Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., and colleagues at Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, measured the vitamin D content in various sea foods that were provided by Legal Sea Foods, Boston, MA. Among the samples were 24 farmed salmon and 20 wild-caught salmon.

Researchers found that the farmed salmon contained only about 25% of the vitamin D content when compared to wild-caught salmon. Farmed trout, bluefish, and swordfish contained about 50% of the vitamin D content found in wild-caught salmon and cod, grey sole, haddock, squid, and clams had less than 10% of the vitamin D content compared to wild-caught salmon.

These results demonstrate a high variability of vitamin D content in fish and the need to update the dietary tables on the vitamin D content in fish. Consumers need to be aware that wild-caught salmon is a much better source of vitamin D than farmed salmon.

ASBMR President-Elect Steve Goldring, M.D., notes: “These findings indicate that the vitamin D content in foods need to be carefully measured and the food charts revised and updated to prevent vitamin D deficiency and risks of associated bone diseases.”

Disclosures: All authors have reported no conflicts of interest.

To obtain a copy of the scientific abstract, contact Stephanie West (contact information above).

###

The ASBMR is the foremost professional, scientific and medical society for the promotion of bone and mineral research and the translation of that research into clinical practice. To learn more, visit the ASBMR website at www.asbmr.org.

Return to News Releases Index