Wild fish consumption and latitude as drivers of vitamin D status among Inuit living in Nunavik, northern Québec.

To measure vitamin D status and estimate factors associated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in Nunavimmiut (Inuit living in Nunavik) adults in 2017. Data were from Nunavik, northern Québec, Canada. A stratified proportional model was used to select respondents, including 1,155 who identified as Inuit and had complete data. Geometric mean serum vitamin D levels were 65.2 nmol/L (95% CI 62.9 - 67.6 nmol/L) among women and 65.4 nmol/L (95% CI 62.3 - 68.7 nmol/L) among men. The weighted prevalence of serum 25(OH)D <75 nmol/L, <50 nmol/L, <30 nmol/L was 61.2%, 30.3%, and 7.0%, respectively. Individuals who were older, female, lived in smaller and/or more southerly communities, and/or consumed more country (traditional) foods, were at a reduced risk of low vitamin D status. Higher consumption of wild fish was specifically associated with increased serum 25(OH)D concentration. It is important that national, regional, and local policies and programs are in place to secure harvest, sharing, and consumption of nutritious and culturally important country foods like Arctic char and other wild fish species, particularly considering ongoing climate change in the Arctic which impacts the availability, access, and quality of fish as food.