Survey of vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in traditional native Alaskan meats, fish, and oils

Abstract

Greater consumption of traditional foods has been associated with improved vitamin D status in Arctic and sub Arctic populations, including Alaskan Native Americans. However, lack of vitamin D food composition data impairs epidemiological studies on health outcomes, and development of specific dietary recommendations. Vitamin D, including 25(OH)D-3 was quantified in samples of native fish, fish eggs, meats (caribou, goose, whale, seal) and traditionally prepared whale and seal oil collected from Alaskan tribes. Vitamin D-3, 25(OH)D-3, and vitamin D-2 were assayed in alkaline-saponified samples by UPLC-MS, after derivatization with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole-3,5-dione, with in-house control materials and/or NIST SRM center dot 1546a Meat Homogenate included in each analytical batch. All but the land animals and bearded seal meat contained >= 2 mu g vitamin D-3/100 g, with > 10 mu g/100 g in steelhead trout; dried sheefish, whitefish, smelt; smoked/dried salmon; fermented sheefish eggs; whale and seal oils. Large between-sample differences in bearded seal oil suggested possible effects of season and/or maturity on vitamin D content. 25(OH)D-3 was > 0.3 mu g/100 g in many foods, notably smoked salmon, beluga whale skin/fat and oil and spotted seal (but not other seal) oil, with the highest levels in dried beluga whale meat, skin/fat, and oil (up to 1.2). Vitamin D-2 was < 0.2 mu g/100 g in all foods.