Reply to BJ Boucher

Department of Internal Medicine University Hospital of Tromsø 9038 Tromsø Norway E-mail: medrj{at}rito.no

Dear Sir:

I am grateful for the appropriate comments from Boucher and can supply the following information. In the Tromsø study, the subjects were examined from September 1994 until June 1995. However, the subjects who were examined in June 1995 were not comparable with the rest of the cohort because they did not respond to the initial invitation. Thus, we do not have data from the summer months. A look at the data from the rest of the year showed that blood pressure values were the same during the autumn, winter, and spring.

Unfortunately, we do not have data on outdoor compared with indoor activity. Accordingly, we are not able to reassess the blood pressure data as suggested by Boucher. In retrospect, I regret that the above information was not included in the original article (1).

REFERENCE

1. Jorde R, Bønaa KH. Calcium from dairy products, vitamin D intake, and blood pressure: the Tromsø study. Am J Clin Nutr 2000; 71:1530–5.