GAITHERSBURG, Md.—Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed new standards and technology to accurately detect vitamin D deficiency in the blood, according to a new study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. The findings will lead to better detection of low levels of vitamin D, which have been linked to the development of rickets, osteoporosis, cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
Measuring vitamin D itself doesn’t work because it is rapidly changed into another form in the liver. Current methods detect levels of a vitamin D metabolite called 25(OH)D; however, test methods don’t always agree and produce different results. To help laboratories come up with consistent and accurate methods, the researchers developed a Standard Reference Material called SRM 972, the first certified reference material for the determination of the metabolite in human serum.
The researchers developed four versions of the standard, with different levels of the vitamin D metabolites 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 in human serum. They also determined the levels of 3-epi-25(OH)D in the adult human serum samples. They found the metabolite—previously thought to only exist in the blood of infants—was present in adult serum.
“This reference material provides a mechanism to ensure measurement accuracy and comparability and represents a first step toward standardization of 25(OH)D measurements," the researchers said.
