Determinants of Vitamin D Intake

Abstract

The objective of our chapter is to provide convincing evidence of how changes in food consumption patterns, judicious fortification of food staples, and targeted supplementation of at-risk groups could be effective public health strategies to help increase vitamin D intake, maintain bone health, and potentially prevent chronic disease. We demonstrate the limitations of the Canadian and American food supply to provide sufficient vitamin D to meet increased dietary needs when cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D is compromised. Vitamin D deficiency as measured by low circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and its link to increased risk of chronic disease is a significant global reality and threat to general public health, yet dietary intakes of vitamin D remain lower than the recommended dietary guidelines for the majority of individuals experiencing the lowest levels of 25(OH)D.