Expected Achievements

The main expected achievement of this project is a definitive answer to the question: “Will fortification of food with vitamin D be a feasible strategy? If so, will the dietary reference intakes need upward revision, and if fortification proves impractical should supplementation be recommended for high risk groups, and at what level should the supplementation be pitched?”

The project will provide new knowledge, scientific information, data and methodologies to optimise fortification strategies by:

• Determining the lowest effective dose of vitamin D that beneficially affects calcium metabolism.
  
• Gauging the dose-response effect within three levels of vitamin D intake.
  
• Assessing the impact of increased vitamin D intake on bone mass in adolescent girls and in an ethnic minority.
  
• Determining in five countries the effects of dietary intake and seasonal variation in solar radiation on vitamin D status in relation to the actual diversity of fortification policies within Europe.
  
• Developing a new low-fat food fortified with vitamin D, which is commonly consumed by all Europeans, namely bread.
  
• Establishing a recommendable level of fortification and/or supplementation in Europe.