Effect of multiple micronutrient fortified milk consumption on vitamin D status among school-aged children in rural region of Morocco

Vitamin D deficiency is a health problem in both developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of multi-vitamin fortified milk consumption on vitamin D status among children living in the mountainous region of Morocco. Children aged 7 to 9 years (n = 239; 49% of girls vs 51% of boys) participated in a double-blind longitudinal study, where they were divided in 2 groups: a fortified group that received daily 200 niL of fortified ultra-high-temperature (UHT) milk enriched with 3 mu g of vitamin D-3 and a nonfortified group that received 200 niL of nonfortified UHT milk with a natural abundance of vitamin D-3 (about 1.5 mu g). Blood samples were collected 3 times (at baseline, then at the fourth and ninth months). The average weight, height, and z score of body mass index for age of participants were 22.8 +/- 2.6 kg, 121.5 +/- 5.2 cm, and -0.2 +/- 0.6 kg/m(2), respectively. At baseline, 47.5% of children had a concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D below 50 nmol/L. At the end of the study the prevalence of vitamin D <50 nmol/L decreased significantly by 37.6% in the fortified group. These results reveal prevalent vitamin D insufficiency (<50 nmol/L) during winter among rural Moroccan school-aged children, which seems to be better improved by consuming the fortified milk instead of the nonfortified one.