Policy changes needed to improve vitamin D status

A review published online on July 28, 2010 in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine recommends the implementation of global policy changes in order to improve the amount of vitamin D that people receive. "Responsible medicine demands that worldwide vitamin D nutritional guidelines reflect current scientific knowledge about vitamin D’s spectrum of activities," write vitamin D expert Anthony Norman of the University of California, Riverside and Roger Bouillon of the Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Endocrinology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in the calcium homeostasis system, which involves the skeleton, intestine, kidneys and parathyroid glands. Other systems in which the vitamin is involved are the immune system, the pancreas and metabolic homeostasis, the cardiovascular system, muscle and brain systems, and the cell cycle. The current U.S. recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 200 international units (IU) for individuals up to the age of 50, 400 IU for those 51 to 70, and 600 IU for men and women over the age of 70. "Worldwide public health is best served by a recommendation of higher daily intakes of vitamin D," Dr Norman stated. "Currently, more than half the world's population gets insufficient amounts of this vitamin. At present about half of elderly North Americans and Western Europeans and probably also of the rest of the world are not receiving enough vitamin D to maintain healthy bone."

The authors note that increased sun exposure to elevate vitamin D levels is not a viable option for most individuals due to the carcinogenicity of ultraviolet B. Additionally, there are no foods that contain enough naturally occurring amounts of the vitamin to correct the worldwide lack. While food fortification could help, the choice of which foods should be fortified and what dosage to fortify them with is challenging because food preferences vary, which could leave vulnerable groups deficient. Supplementation allows correct dosing dependent upon individual needs, but requires lifelong compliance.

Drs Norman and Bouillon suggest that an increase to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily (or higher for some groups) could reduce the incidence of a number of diseases, including multiple sclerosis, cancer, type-1 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and tuberculosis. "A reduction in the frequency of these diseases would increase the quality and longevity of life and significantly reduce the cost of medical care worldwide," Dr Norman observed. "It is high time that worldwide vitamin D nutritional policy, now at a crossroads, reflects current scientific knowledge about the vitamin's many benefits and develops a sound vision for the future."......................
http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2010/0813_Policy-Changes-Needed-to-Improve-Vita...
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