Calcium and vitamin D intakes in an adult Canadian population.

Purpose: Calcium and vitamin D intakes from food and supplements were estimated in Canadian men and women.

Methods: Calcium intakes from both diet and supplements and vitamin D intakes from fortified milk and supplements were estimated using cross-sectional data from 9423 randomly selected subjects aged 25 years or older, who were participating in a longitudinal study on osteoporosis. Subjects completed an abbreviated food frequency questionnaire administered by a trained interviewer between July 1995 and December 1997.

Results: The mean (standard deviation) daily intake for calcium was estimated to be 1038 (614) mg for women and 904 (583) mg for men; for vitamin D, mean intakes were 5.6 (5.9) microg and 4.8 (5.5) microg for women and men, respectively.

Conclusions: Mean intakes for calcium and vitamin D in men and women under age 51 were close to the adequate daily intake levels. Older adults, however, may be at risk of deficiency.