A mobile application could help people track their vitamin D and calcium intake, according to a recent study.

Vitamin D is essential for the maintenance of bone health and may be implicated in other chronic diseases, as well as immunity, but adults in Canada are consistently deficient in dietary vitamin D, by nearly 400 international units per day (IU/d) on average.

Coupled with low vitamin D synthesis from the sun during fall and winter at Canadian latitudes, tracking intake of vitamin D is vital for those lacking the nutrient. Canadian researchers examined the validity of a mobile application for tracking vitamin D and calcium intake.

For the study, researchers examined use of the Vitamin D Calculator app by enrolling 25 men and 25 women between 18 and 25 years of age. Before beginning the study, participants were instructed on how to use the app and then asked to use the app to record their intake of vitamin D- and calcium-containing food and beverages, as well as their exposure to sunlight on three recording days.

The day after the three-day tracking period was completed, participants orally recalled their intake for research assistants. Mean vitamin D and calcium intake estimated by the app were significantly positively correlated and not significantly different from the recalls, validating use of the app for tracking dietary intake.

"Because estimated vitamin D intake has not increased meaningfully since 2004, Canadians need to increase vitamin D intake. This app may be a useful tool for tracking personal intake," Samantha Goodman, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "The app represents a valuable tool physicians or dietitians could use in clinical counseling to help patients increase their intake of vitamin D or calcium."

More than 17,000 health apps are currently available and 500 million people worldwide are projected to have used a health app by the end of 2015.

The findings are detailed in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.