Vitamin D Status Assessment: Lack of Correlation Between Serum and Hair 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol Levels in Healthy Young Adults

May 2022 in “ Diagnostics ”

Zsolt Gáll, Brigitta Csukor, Melinda Urkon, Lénárd Farczádi, Melinda Kolcsár

25-hydroxycholecalciferol Vitamin D serum 25(OH)D3 hair 25(OH)D3 biomarker sun exposure supplementation

TLDR Vitamin D levels in hair don't match those in blood, so hair isn't a reliable indicator of Vitamin D status.

The study involved 26 healthy Caucasian young adults and aimed to determine the correlation between 25(OH)D3 (a form of Vitamin D) concentrations in serum and hair. The study found that 25(OH)D3 could be detected in human hair, but there was no correlation between serum and hair 25(OH)D3 concentrations. Factors such as gender, body mass index, supplementation, or sun exposure had no effects on hair 25(OH)D3 concentrations, but supplementation and sun exposure significantly increased serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations. The study concluded that while 25(OH)D3 can be detected in human hair, its use as a biomarker requires further investigation due to the lack of correlation with serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations.

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Research cited in this study

2 / 2 results

research A Non-Invasive Hair Test to Determine Vitamin D3 Levels

4 citations, May 2021 in “Molecules”

The hair test for vitamin D could be a useful alternative to blood tests, providing a longer-term vitamin D status, but more research is needed.

research Extraskeletal Actions of Vitamin D

119 citations, July 2016 in “Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences”

Vitamin D has potential benefits for cancer prevention, heart health, diabetes, obesity, muscle function, skin health, and immune function, but clinical results are mixed and more research is needed.

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