Firstly, the aims of the study were to investigate the influences of various factors, sex differences, Cytomegalovirus/Epstein-Barr virus (CMV/EBV) serostatus and vitamin D concentrations on respiratory illness incidence and immune function during the winter months in a student cohort of endurance athletes. In Chapter 3, the findings of the study concur with recent reports of illness incidence at major competitive games which indicate that female athletes may be more susceptible than their male counterparts to upper respiratory tract illness (URTI) symptoms and that lower oral-respiratory mucosal immunity may, in part, account for this. It was also found that previous coinfection with CMV and EBV might promote protective immune surveillance to lower the risk of URTI. In addition, it can be concluded that athletes with low plasma vitamin D concentrations may have a higher risk of URTI and suffer more severe symptoms when URTI is present. This may be due to impaired mucosal and systemic immunity as secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) secretion, cathelicidin levels and antigen-stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokine production appear to be increased by vitamin D-dependent mechanisms. A series of follow-up studies were also conducted to examine the effect of vitamin D on mucosal and systemic immunity in athletes. In Chapter 4, it was reported that the influence of vitamin D on circulating cytokines might be different in athletes compared with non-athletes and that both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine production by multi-antigen stimulated whole blood culture were not influenced by 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (1, 25(OH)2D) iconcentrations within the normal healthy range. In Chapter 5, it was found that 5000 IU of vitamin D3 supplementation daily appears to have a beneficial effect in up-regulating the expression of SIgA and cathelicidin in athletes during a winter training period. Nevertheless, the findings reported in Chapter 6 showed that there were no significant effects of vitamin D status and a 4-week period of daily high does vitamin D3 supplementation on salivary antimicrobial protein (AMP) responses to prolonged exercise. In conclusion, a series of studies in this thesis have demonstrated the influence of various factors (sex differences, CMV/EBV serostatus and vitamin D concentrations) on susceptibility to URTI among athletes. Moreover, it was suggested that vitamin D3 supplementation could have a positive effect on immune function and lead to decreased incidence of respiratory infections.

Radiation therapy is a widely used tool in cancer therapy and is frequently offered as the first line of treatment for cancers of the breast. While radiotherapy is often initially effective in killing tumor cells or suppressing their growth, there are factors that confer tumor cell resistance to irradiation. Development of resistance may lead to disease recurrence despite the use of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. A primary goal of the studies in Dr. Gewirtz’s laboratory is to develop strategies to overcome resistance to radiation (and chemotherapy) in breast cancer, with the ultimate goal of preventing or attenuating disease recurrence. One of these approaches involves combining the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-di hydroxy vitamin D3 or its analogs with radiotherapy. Our proposed studies were designed to build upon and extend previous work from this laboratory focused on determining the nature of cell death when vitamin D3 is combined with ionizing radiation in breast tumor cells. Studies were extended to the wild type p53, estrogen receptor positive, ZR-75-1 breast cancer cell line. We were able to validate that vitamin D3 does in fact, sensitize ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells to radiation therapy and substantiate that autophagy is the mode of sensitization by vitamin D3. Interestingly, our experimental system demonstrated that autophagy can actually have dual roles. Specifically, inhibition of autophagy both enhanced sensitivity to radiation and attenuated radiation sensitization by 1,25D3. Moreover, this experimental model proved to be a useful tool in trying to distinguish the factors involved in cytoprotective and cytotoxic autophagy, as we were able to demonstrate a potential role of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase in the sensitization of breast tumor cells to radiation by vitamin D3 as well as cytotoxic autophagy.

Hypertension and nutrition: Fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E Weber J1 , Vlcek J1 , Suarez-Varella MM2 1 Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic 2 Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Spain Arterial hypertension (AH) is a disease affecting population globally, and thus considered as a problem of public health and socioeconomic. Studies are trying to identify the connection between diet and the prevalence of arterial hypertension. Objective of the study was to determine possible association between an occurrence of AH and fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E intake. The nested, case-control population study investigation was grounded on database from the Spanish Hortega study, and performed on a random sample of 1,514 people (50.3 % women, 49.7 % men). From this sample we selected those aged ≥ 40 years old and untreated for hypertension and divided them into two groups: non-hypertensive (n = 429; 63.6 %) (controls), and newly diagnosed AH (n = 246; 36.4 %) (cases). Biochemical and anthropometric measurements, data on dietary intakes, education, socioeconomic status, place of residence, health habits, comorbidities, consumption of alcohol and tobacco were used for our...

Adherence to calcium and vitamin D supplementation in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis Author: Radka Holcová Supervisor: Magda Vytřísalová Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy Introduction: The insufficient medication adherence is a very frequent problem with chronic asymptomatic diseases as osteoporosis which significantly influences the treatment outcome. The successful osteoporosis therapy is based on adequate supply of calcium and vitamin D. A lot of studies are focused on the adherence to antiresorptive treatment but the adherence to supplementation therapy is rarely evaluated. Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the adherence to calcium and vitamin D supplementation in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods: The adherence was evaluated using two different methods: self-reported questionnaire and the electronic monitoring by bottles type Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). This partial analysis of a multicentre study includes and assesses data from Osteocentre in Pardubice Regional Hospital. Results: The analysis was performed with 15 women (the average age of 73). The patients were treated with Caltrate 600 mg/400 IU D3 once a day for three months. The adherence during the entire period...

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Jim Nelssen / Seven experiments using a total of 3,251 preweaned pigs, nursery pigs, and sows were used to determine the effects of: 1) supplemental vitamin D[subscript]3 on suckling and nursery pig growth, and maternal performance, and 2) high sulfate water, dietary zeolite and humic substance on nursery pig performance. Also, a web-based survey was developed to question pork producers and advisors of the swine industry on their knowledge of feed efficiency. Experiment 1 tested an oral dose of either; none, 40,000 or 80,000 IU vitamin D[subscript]3 given to pigs 24 to 48 h after farrowing. No differences in growth performance or bone mineralization were observed, but vitamin D[subscript]3 supplementation increased serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3 on d 10, 20, and 30, but returned to control values by d 52. Experiments 2 and 3 evaluated an oral dose of vitamin D[subscript]3 to pigs just before weaning, as well as added D[subscript]3 in nursery diets and in drinking water. There were no effects on growth performance; however, serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3 increased with all sources of vitamin D[subscript]3 supplementation. Experiment 4 evaluated if pigs had a preference to 1 of 3 dietary concentrations of vitamin D[subscript]3. Pigs ate less feed from diets containing very high levels of vitamin D[subscript]3 compared to commonly supplemented levels. Experiment 5 evaluated 3 levels of vitamin D[subscript]3 in sow diets. There were no effects on sow productivity, subsequent pig performance, or piglet bone ash content. However, increasing vitamin D[subscript]3 increased sow serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3, milk vitamin D, and pig serum 25(OH)D[subscript]3. Experiment 6 and 7 evaluated the effects of dietary zeolite and humic substances in nursery pigs drinking high sulfate water. Ultimately, pigs drinking high sulfate water had increased fecal moisture content and decreased growth performance, and feed additives evaluated were ineffective in ameliorating these negative effects. Finally, data collected from the feed efficiency survey suggest that there are knowledge gaps about practices that effect feed efficiency. Results from this survey will help extension educators better target specific industry segments with current information and provide more specific areas of future research where lack of information has been identified.

Bakgrund: I Sverige avlider, varje dag, cirka tre äldre människor till följd av en fallolycka. Cirka 17 000 äldre människor drabbas per år av höftfrakturer till följd av fallolyckor. Uppgifter från 2014 visar att fallolyckor hos äldre kostar samhället cirka 14 miljarder kronor per år. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att hitta fysiologiska och farmakologiska faktorer som predisponerar för falltendens och fallskador hos människor, ≥75 år. Metod: Denna studie baserades på journaldata som extraherats från den pågående studien: ”Betydelsen av bra D-vitaminstatus för äldres hälsa” och omfattar tre patientgrupper: 100 patienter som ramlat och fått fraktur, 96 strokepatienter, 148 friska kontroller med avseende på följande parametrar: andel patienter med: hypoglykemi, hypotoni, D-vitaminbrist, sänkt njurfunktion och antal läkemedel på ordination. Resultat: Denna studie visar att gruppen patienter med fraktur som har ramlat har högst andel med hypotoni, hypoglykemi, D-vitaminbrist och försämrad njurfunktion. I genomsnitt fick frakturpatienter 5,6 läkemedel/dag, strokepatienter 5,5 läkemedel/dag och kontrollgruppen 2,3 läkemedel/dag. Flertalet läkemedel hade biverkningar som kan kopplas till fall och fallskador. Slutsats: Studien visar att det var vanligare bland de som drabbats av färsk lågenergifraktur att ha predisponerande riskfaktorer för fall och därmed fallskador jämfört med strokegruppen och kontrollgruppen. Studier på läkemedel och dess biverkningar visade att flertalet läkemedel i denna studie kan kopplas till falltendens och fallskador. Flera av de läkemedel som studerades kan även påverka de olika parametrarna som undersökts i de olika studiegrupperna.

Given a global online sample of Black men (n=194) who responded to a social media campaign and completed the study, the convenience sample of Black males (N=194) was mostly married (N=147, 75.85%), had a mean age of 49.53 years (min 40, max 76, SD=8.73), and was well educated; 24.7% (n=48) had an Associate Degree, 20.6% (n=40) had a Bachelor’s, 18% (n=35) had a Master’s, and 5.2% (n=10) had a Doctorate. The mean annual income was 4.21 for category 4 of $40,000-$49,999 (min 1, max 9, SD=1.64). Most of the participants were employed (n=188, 96.9%) and born in the United States (n=152, 78.4%). As a reflection of a global sample, if not a sample of men born in Ghana (77.3%, n=194) who were now dispersed across the globe, over two-thirds (77.3%) were born in Ghana while 78.4% (n=152) were currently living in the United States; 15.5% (n=30) were currently living in Ghana, followed by 5.1 (n=10) currently living in other countries. Key findings showed that, as a brief intervention of taking the PC-S-KT-39, as per results of four paired t-tests (Bonferroni Adjustment Significance, .05/4, p=.013), this was associated with a significant increase from pre-knowledge test to post-knowledge test (p<.000; Bonferroni Adjustment Significance, .05/4, p=.013) for (a) knowledge of prostate cancer and screening (t=-8.475, df=193, p=.000); (b) self-efficacy for talking to doctor about prostate cancer and screening (t=-9.098, df=193, p=.000); (c) knowledge of Vitamin D screening and supplementation (t=-9.748, df=193, p=.000); and (d) self-efficacy for talking about Vitamin D screening and supplementation (t=-9.384, df=193, p=.000). The study demonstrated how there is great value in contemporary times in using an online social media campaign, posting and distributing flyers in community venues (barber shops, churches), snowballing, and using smart phones to conduct global online research. Given these findings, wide dissemination via the Internet of a link to the new Prostate Cancer and Screening Knowledge Test (PC-S-KT-39) is justified. If men such as those in this study disseminate the link, the impact may be global indeed.

Introdução A baixa concentração sérica de vitamina D tem sido associadas com a hipertensão no mundo todo. A hipovitaminose D tem sido observada mesmo na nossa população. Objetivo Investigar as concentrações séricas de vitamina D e sua associação com a pressão arterial (PA) em indivíduos adultos residentes na cidade de São Paulo. Métodos Para esta dissertação foram desenvolvidos dois artigos. Na revisão (artigo 1), foram selecionados artigos indexados nas bases de dados Pubmed, Lilacs e Medline, incluindo estudos realizados no Brasil. O artigo original (artigo 2) descreve o estudo transversal realizado com 332 adultos, 65 por cento mulheres, onde foi avaliada a associação entre vitamina D, paratormônio intacto (PTHi) e PA. Foram feitas: aferição da PA e coleta de medidas antropométricas e amostras sanguíneas. A concentração sérica de 25(OH)D3 foi mensurada pela técnica de cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC). O valor médio de 2 medidas de PA foi considerado para as análises. Os participantes foram divididos em 3 grupos: (1) PA normal; (2) PA elevada; (3) PA normal pelo uso de medicação. A insuficiência de vitamina D foi considerada quando 25(OH)D3 75 nmol/L e o PTHi elevado quando > 65 pg/mL. A relação entre vitamina D, PTHi e PA foi ajustada pelo índice de massa corpórea (IMC), circunferência da cintura (CC) e perfil lipídico. Resultados Na revisão foi enfatizada a relação da vitamina D com doenças cardiovasculares, considerando, inclusive, os diferentes mecanismos fisiológicos propostos. No artigo original, observou-se idade média e desvio padrão de 50 (15) anos, IMC 29 (6) kg/m² e CC 97 (13) cm. Entre os indivíduos avaliados, 75 por cento tinham sobrepeso ou obesidade. PA média foi 129/80 (18/11) mmHg. A concentração média de cálcio sérico foi 9,3 (0,5) mg/dL, PTHi 40,8 (18,7) pg/mL e vitamina D 55,8 (17,1) nmol/L. O PTHi elevado e a insuficiência de vitamina D estiveram presentes em 12 por cento e 86 por cento da amostra, respectivamente. Não foram observadas diferenças nas prevalências de insuficiência de vitamina D e PTHi elevado entre os grupos de PA. Não foram observadas associações entre vitamina D e PA. Entretanto, uma correlação positiva foi observada entre PTHi e PA sistólica (r=0,168; p=0,002) e diastólica (r=0,168; p=0,002), IMC (r=0,125; p=0,023), CC (r=0,172; p=0,002) e por cento de massa gorda (r=0,158; p=0,004). O PTHi manteve-se correlacionado com a PA mesmo após realização dos ajustes. Conclusão A associação entre PTH e pressão arterial, observada por este estudo, acrescenta novas informações com relação ao envolvimento do metabolismo da vitamina D na regulação da pressão arterial. Mais estudos são necessários para esclarecer as vias metabólicas existentes entre metabolismo do PTH, da vitamina D e da pressão arterial / Background Low vitamin D has been associated with hypertension worldwide. Hypovitaminosis D has also been observed in our population. Objective To evaluate whether vitamin D status are related to blood pressure (BP) in adults living at Sao Paulo city. Methods For this dissertation, two articles were developed. In review (article 1), articles indexed in database Pubmed, Lilacs and Medline were selected, including Brazilian studies. Original article (article 2) describe cross-sectional study performed with 332 adults, 65 per cent women, that evaluate the association between vitamin D, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and BP. Anthropometric measurements, BP and a fasting blood sample were obtained. Serum concentration of 25(OH)D3 was measured by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. Mean value of two measures of BP was considered to analysis. Participants were divided in three categories of blood pressure: (1) normal blood pressure; (2) high blood pressure; (3) normal blood pressure by medication. Vitamin D insufficiency was defined by 25(OH)D3 75 nmol/L, high iPTH > 65 pg/mL. The relationship between vitamin D, iPTH and BP were adjusted for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood lipids. Results In review, the relationship of vitamin D with cardiovascular disease was emphasized considering the different physiological mechanisms proposed. In the original article, mean age and standard deviation was 50 (15) years, BMI 29 (6) kg/m², WC 97 (13) cm. Overweight and obesity was present in 75 per cent of individuals. Mean BP was 129/80 (18/11) mmHg. Mean serum calcium concentration was 9.3 (0.5) mg/dL, iPTH 40.8(18.7) pg/mL and vitamin D 55.8 (17.1) nmol/L. Elevated iPTH and vitamin D insufficiency was present in 12 per cent and 86 per cent of the sample, respectively. No differences were observed on prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and high iPTH among blood pressure groups. No significant association was observed between BP and vitamin D. However, a positive correlation was observed between iPTH and systolic (r=0.168; p=0.002) and diastolic BP (r=0.168; p=0.002), BMI (r=0.125; p=0.023), WC (r=0.172; p=0.002) and per cent FM (r=0.158; p=0.004). The iPTH remained correlated with BP even with adjustments. Conclusion The association between PTH and blood pressure observed in this study adds a new piece of information in literature regarding the involvement of the vitamin D metabolism with blood pressure. More studies are necessary to clarifying the metabolic pathways existing between PTH, vitamin D and blood pressure

INTRODUÇÃO: Em mais de trinta anos de epidemia a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) estima haver cerca de 34 milhões de pessoas vivendo com HIV no mundo (WHO, 2000). No Brasil, de 1980 a Junho de 2013 foram diagnosticados mais de 686 mil casos. Os nutrientes são constituintes dos alimentos necessários à manutenção das funções corporais normais, A Deficiência de micronutrientes é comum em portadores de HIV/AIDS, gerado pela má absorção, interação medicamentosa, estado metabólico alterado e perda de fluídos, como náusea e vômito, além da diarreia, A deficiência de vitamina D tem sido observado na ausência de tratamento antirretroviral, mas tende a ser mais comum entre os pacientes tratados com antirretrovirais. OBJETIVO: Determinar a prevalência de deficiência no consumo e níveis séricos de vitamina D e cálcio dado através da deita habitual e de exames bioquímicos. METODOLOGIA: Trata-se de um estudo transversal, de uma amostra sequencial de 98 pacientes, sendo 66 homens e 32 mulheres infectados pelo HIV em acompanhamento clínico no Ambulatório de Imunodeficiências Secundárias do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo no período de Janeiro de 2012 a Fevereiro de 2014. RESULTADOS: Dentre os 98 pacientes estudados, nove (30%) e 13 (20%) de mulheres e homens, respectivamente, estavam na faixa etária acima de 51 anos, aproximadamente 21 (66%) das mulheres e 49 (72%) dos homens apresentam níveis séricos insuficientes para vitamina D, e que 26 (81%) das mulheres e 57 (87%) dos homens não ingerem as quantidades recomendadas de vitamina D, Em relação aos níveis de cálcio, 23 (72%) e 48 (73%) das mulheres e homens, respectivamente, apresentam níveis séricos adequados, no entanto 30 (94%) das mulheres e 65 (98,5%) de homens apresentam ingestão insuficiente para este micronutriente, 20 (63%) mulheres e 33 (50%) homens, apresentaram excesso de peso (p= 0,036) CONCLUSÕES: podemos concluir que mais de 84% dos pacientes apresentam níveis inferiores ao desejado de 30 ng/dL no que se refere à vitamina D. A causa mais provável e observado foi a falta de ingestão, e a fala de exposição solar sendo que 49% dos pacientes estudados relataram exposição solar frequente, Em relação ao cálcio podemos concluir que mais de 87% da coorte estudada apresenta deficiência desse micronutriente, esse valor mostra que estes indivíduos tem elevada probabilidade de fraturas, principalmente com o avançar da idade, O risco cardiovascular aumentado, também deve ser tratado como prioridade pela equipe multidisciplinar, tendo em vista os achados desse estudo, que revelam que 53% dos pacientes tem risco muito alto para este tipo de evento / INTRODUCTION: In more than thirty years into the epidemic the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there are about 34 million people living with HIV worldwide (WHO, 2000). In Brazil, from 1980 to June 2013 were diagnosed more than 686 000 cases. Nutrients are the constituents of foods needed to maintain normal bodily functions, The Micronutrient deficiency is common in HIV / AIDS, generated by malabsorption, drug interactions, altered metabolic state and fluid loss, such as nausea and vomiting, in addition to diarrhea, vitamin D deficiency has been observed in the absence of antiretroviral treatment, but tends to be more common among patients treated with antiretroviral drugs. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of disability in consumption and serum levels of vitamin D and calcium given by the usual diet and biochemical tests. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study, a sequential sample of 98 patients, 66 men and 32 women infected with HIV in clinical follow-up in Outpatient Secondary Immunodeficiencies, Hospital das Clinicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo in the period January 2012 to February 2014 RESULTS: Among the 98 patients, nine (30%) and 13 (20%) of women and men, respectively, were in the age group above 51 years, approximately 21 (66%) women and 49 (72%) of men have insufficient blood levels for vitamin D, and 26 (81%) women and 57 (87%) of men do not eat the recommended amounts of vitamin D in relation to calcium , 23 (72%) and 48 (73%) of women and men, respectively, have adequate serum levels, however 30 (94%) women and 65 (98.5%) of men had insufficient for this micronutrient intake, 20 (63%) and 33 women (50%) men were overweight (p = 0.036). Conclusions: We can conclude that over 84% of patients with lower levels for the desired 30 ng / dL with respect to vitamin D. the most likely cause was observed and the lack of intake, and the speech of sun exposure and that 49% of patients reported frequent sun exposure, regarding calcium can conclude that more than 87% of the cohort has zinc deficiency , this value shows that these individuals have a high probability of fracture, particularly with advancing age, the increased cardiovascular risk, should also be treated as a priority by the multidisciplinary team, in view of the findings of this study, showing that 53% of patients has very high risk for such events

Ce travail de thèse s’articule en deux parties. Dans une première partie (aspects descriptifs, cohortes SU.VI.MAX et NutriNet-Santé), nous avons mis en évidence différents facteurs influençant le statut en vitamine D, parmi lesquels certains sont modifiables et pourraient ainsi faire l’objet de recommandations de santé publique (exposition solaire modérée, activité physique, maintenance d’un poids normal). Sur la base de ces déterminants, nous avons développé le score VDIP permettant d’identifier de manière simple en pratique clinique des adultes à risque d’insuffisance en vitamine D. Enfin, l’étude des connaissances liées à la vitamine D dans un large groupe d’adultes issus de la population générale a mis en évidence une certaine confusion par rapport aux sources de vitamine D et à ses effets santé établis ou non.Dans une seconde partie (aspects étiologiques, étude cas-témoin nichée dans la cohorte SU.VI.MAX), nous avons mis en évidence qu’un statut plus élevé en vitamine D (parmi des concentrations plasmatiques en 25(OH)D faibles à modérées telles qu’observées dans cette étude) pourrait être associé à une diminution de risque de cancer du sein, de cancer de la prostate et de cancers liés au tabac. Ces associations seraient toutefois modifiées par différents facteurs individuels comme le statut pondéral ou la consommation d’alcool (cancer du sein en particulier). L’étude des différents polymorphismes génétiques a permis de confirmer les résultats observés avec le statut en vitamine D.Dans un contexte où la vitamine D suscite une attention grandissante, les résultats de cette thèse contribuent à mieux connaître les facteurs influençant le statut en vitamine D, à fournir un aperçu détaillé des connaissances/croyances concernant la vitamine D en population générale et fournissent de nouveaux éléments pour une meilleure compréhension du rôle de la vitamine D dans l’étiologie des cancers. Ces travaux pourraient ainsi participer, à terme, à l’optimisation des recommandations de santé publique pour l’amélioration du statut en vitamine D de la population et pour la prévention primaire des cancers. / Two main parts structured this PhD thesis. In the first part (descriptive work, SU.VI.MAX and NutriNet-Santé cohorts), we identified factors that influenced vitamin D status, some of which being modifiable (e.g. moderate sun exposure, physical activity, normal weight) and as such constitute interesting targets for public health policies. Using these determinants, we developed the VDIP score in order to simply identify adults at risk of vitamin d insufficiency. Finally, the study dealing with vitamin D-related knowledge showed that the primary sources of vitamin D-related information were the physicians and the media and that some confusion existed regarding the sources and the proven/unproven health effects of vitamin D.In a second part (etiological work, nested case-control study, SU.VI.MAX cohort), we showed that a higher vitamin D status (within the low-to-moderate range of plasma 25(OH)D concentrations observed in this study) may be associated with a decreased risk of breast, prostate and tobacco-related cancers. These associations were modified by individual factors such as weight status and alcohol intake (in particular breast cancer). The studied genetic polymorphisms confirmed the associations observed with vitamin D status.In a context where vitamin D arouses considerable interest, these results may contribute to a better understanding of the factors that influence vitamin D status, to a better insight of what people know and believe regarding vitamin D and to a better understanding of the role of vitamin D in the etiology of cancer. These PhD findings could eventually contribute to the optimization of public health nutritional recommendations for the improvement of vitamin D status in the population and for cancer primary prevention.