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free tools for patients, expert nutrition advice and information on updated
dairy nutrition resources.
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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
a great
tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
A NEW APPRECIATION FOR VITAMIN D
Volume 78, Number 2 March/April 2007
Introduction
A new appreciation for vitamin D, known as the “sunshine vitamin,” is emerging (1). In the early 1920s, vitamin D deficiency was identified as the cause of rickets, a disease characterized by softening of bones and skeletal deformities (e.g., bowed legs) in growing infants and young children (1,2). In the 1930s, implementation of the public health measure to fortify milk with vitamin D made rickets a rare disease in the U.S. (2). In fact, until the last decade, it was assumed that vitamin D deficiency had been eliminated as a public health concern (1,2).
A new appreciation for meeting vitamin D needs is emerging as a result of recent findings of a high prevalence of poor vitamin D status in many population groups and an expanded role for vitamin D
in health.
Recent increased interest in vitamin D is attributed to several developments. These include a re-appearance of vitamin D deficiency rickets in U.S. infants and young children, especially among African Americans; new findings of an epidemic of poor vitamin D status in both children and adults; research demonstrating that vitamin D deficiency not only adversely affects the skeleton, but also may be associated with increased risk of several chronic non-skeletal diseases (e.g., some cancers, autoimmune disorders, hypertension, metabolic syndrome); and observations indicating that, for optimal health, dietary recommendations for vitamin D need to be increased (1,2).
This Digest reviews the basic metabolism of vitamin D; sources of this fat-soluble vitamin; dietary recommendations for vitamin D; and vitamin D deficiency, its causes, and consequences (skeletal and non-skeletal). Heightened awareness of vitamin D deficiency across the life cycle and its consequences, along with considerations related to improving vitamin D status, are the subject of numerous recent symposia and scientific reviews (1,3-13).
Table of Contents:
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