Vitamin D Study

About the UCD Family Vitamin D Study - Fam-D-Bread

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin, but many of us don’t get enough between the months of October and March. Researchers at the University College Dublin (UCD) Institute of Food and Health and University College Cork Centre for Vitamin D and Nutrition Research want to improve wintertime vitamin D status using a vitamin D-fortified bread. The Fam-D-Bread study hopes to make vitamin D intake easier for everyone by including vitamin D in a staple in all homes – bread.

We are collaborating with Teagasc (the Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and Bretzel Bakery to develop our vitamin D-fortified bread. While Bretzel Bakery will
produce the bread for the study, they do not have any influence on the research. This
project is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine, Ireland. Malak Ali, Dr Katie Davies, Prof. Eileen Gibney, and Prof. Aifric O’Sullivan are conducting the study in UCD’s Institute of Food and Health.

Complete the questionnaire here to take part:

(opens in a new window)https://ucc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0p5XpaVBTAYvuey

Why have you been invited to take part in this research study?

We are seeking families with at least one parent/guardian (aged 18+) and one
child/dependent (aged 5-17 years).

What will happen if you decide to take part in this research study? 

Screening (approx. 10 mins)
If you are interest in the study, please fill in our screening questionnaire in the link above. This screening questionnaire will include general questions on your family size, health, and lifestyle.

Individuals will not be eligible to participate if they are regularly taking a high dose vitamin D supplement (>10µg/d equivalent), are exposed to factors that may influence vitamin D status (such as winter sun holiday, tanning beds etc. during the course of the study), have a medical condition or are taking medications that could impact your participation in the study, or if you are participating in another research study with an intervention or other lifestyle programme that would interfere with the outcomes of the study.

We will contact you and let you know if you are eligible to take part. If you are eligible to participate, we will send you a copy of the participant information leaflet and consent form for your review.

Baseline visit (Week 0 - approx. 2 hours)
If you are eligible and interested in participating, you will be asked to complete two rounds of data collection: one at the beginning of the study (Baseline) and another at the end of the study (Endpoint).

Before we begin data collection, a researcher will ensure you have signed the appropriate consent forms and are happy to continue. Then, you will be randomly allocated to either the fortified bread or the unfortified (control) bread study group. To avoid bias, you will not know which group you are in, and neither will the researchers. 

We will collect/record the following:

• Your height, weight, and blood pressure measurements*
• A small blood sample (collected by a nurse)
• A dietary questionnaire (Food frequency questionnaire)*
• A demographics and health questionnaire*

*Can be collected onsite at a UCD research centre or during an at-home study visit.

Checkup (via phone call) (week 2 and 6 approx. 10 mins)
We will check in with you to see how you are getting on with the study at week 2 and again at week 6. During the calls, we will ask you questions on if there have been any changes to health status, medical history, or medication and supplement use within your family.

Endpoint visit (Week 8-approx. 2 hours)
Following the 8-week study period, the study team will schedule another data collection with your family.

We will collect/record the following:

Your height, weight, and blood pressure measurements*

• A small blood sample (collected by a nurse)
• A dietary questionnaire (Food frequency questionnaire)*
• An acceptability/exit questionnaire*

*Can be collected onsite at a UCD research centre or during an at-home study visit.

What are the benefits of taking part in this research study?

If you decide to take part, you will be contributing to research that is aiming to improve knowledge on vitamin D fortified foods in Ireland. You will be provided with bread throughout the study and information on other sources of vitamin D to help you make the recommended changes.

Download the participant leaflet below for more information: 

Adult_Participant_information_leaflet

Parental_Participant_information_leaflet

Contact details and further information: 
Please feel free to ask for further information before deciding if you will take part. If you want further information, you can contact the researchers at vitamind@ucd.ie or 01 716 2467.

Complete the questionnaire here to take part:

(opens in a new window)https://ucc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0p5XpaVBTAYvuey