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November 25, 2025
EPIC-Oxford study finds higher vitamin D levels in meat eaters
Results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Oxford study indicate diet is an important determinant of circulating vitamin D. This large cross-sectional study investigated differences in vitamin D intake and plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the major circulating form of vitamin D, among meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans. Meat eaters had the highest mean intake of vitamin D and mean plasma 25(OH)D levels (3�1 ?g/d and 77�0 nmol/l, respectively), while vegans had the lowest (0�7 ?g/d and 55�8 nmol/l).
This study measured vitamin D intakes and plasma 25(OH)D concentrations in 2107 white men and women aged 20�76 years from the EPIC�Oxford cohort. The British study population included 1388 meat eaters, 210 fish eaters (who consumed no meat), 420 vegetarians (who ate no meat or fish) and 89 vegans (who consumed no meat, fish, eggs or dairy products). Dietary intake of vitamin D was significantly different among the diet groups. Meat eaters had the highest intake, followed by fish eaters, then vegetarians and then vegans, whose intake was less than a quarter that of meat eaters.
Plasma 25(OH)D concentrations also reflected the degree of exclusion of foods of animal origin. In this study, only meat eaters had mean plasma 25(OH)D concentrations above 75 nmol/L; whereas, the fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans all had mean plasma 25(OH)D levels below 75 nmol/L. After adjusting for a range of factors that influence circulating vitamin D levels, including season, there was a significant difference in plasma 25(OH)D between meat eaters and vegans, of 21.2 nmol/L. As would be expected, the time of year blood samples were collected influenced plasma vitamin D concentrations in all diet groups. The authors observed that the extent to which the intake of foods of animal origin was restricted explained lower circulating vitamin D levels in vegans, especially during the winter. There is growing consensus that plasma 25(OH)D concentrations of at least 75 nmol/L are desirable for overall health (including optimal bone health) and disease prevention.¹
For Your Practice
These findings add to evidence from other studies that diets that include meat provide a greater amount of vitamin D than vegetarian and vegan diets. Meat, fatty fish, eggs and milk (that is fortified with vitamin D) are major dietary sources of vitamin D in Canada. Therefore, the extent to which these foods are excluded from the diet can impact both the intake of vitamin D and plasma 25(OH)D. This is important for Canadians to recognize, especially when exposure to the sun�s UVB rays is insufficient for vitamin D biosynthesis and circulating levels tend to drop from November through to spring. The link between vitamin D and bone health is well-established and emerging research also suggests that vitamin D may play a role in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases.
Want to Learn More?
See Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans: results from the EPIC-Oxford study by Crowe FL et al, Public Health Nutrition 2010; 21:1-7.
To learn more about sources of vitamin D in the Canadian diet, click here.
To learn more about the vitamin D status of Canadians, click here.
¹Kellie Langois et al. Vitamin D status of Canadians as measured in the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Statistics Canada Health Report. March, 2010. Catalogue no. 82-003-X.
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