Study to decide whether vitamin D should be added to food

[Northerner]

An official review is to examine whether food and drink can be fortified with vitamin D to close health inequalities, Sajid Javid has announced.

Officials said that the study was being launched following evidence that around one in six adults in the UK has low levels of vitamin D, a deficiency that can lead to conditions such as rickets, disabilities and bone pain. The greater use of supplements will also be examined, with Javid calling on experts and patient groups to come forward with evidence.

Almost 20% of children in the UK have vitamin D levels lower than government recommendations. Health officials said that older people, the housebound and people from Black and South Asian communities are also more likely to have lower levels. The new call for evidence is being launched by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and comes ahead of broader proposals for closing health disparities to be published later this year.

Official advice states that all adults and children should consider taking a daily 10 micrograms supplement of vitamin D in the darker months between October and March. Other at-risk groups are advised to consider taking a supplement throughout the year.

Study to decide whether vitamin D should be added to food

One in six adults have low levels of the vitamin, a lack which can lead to rickets and bone pain

www.theguardian.com

 

[Amity Island]

You'd be hard pushed to find any supplement labelled as Vitamin D. I'd also expect a study to state clearly which Vitamin D they are studying.
D2 is mainly found in plant sources, D3 in animal sources and human sunshine conversion. K2 is important too when taking D3.

"Yet, D needs to be balanced with K for proper cardiovascular health. Alone, it can increase calcium uptakes in the intestines but not activate MGP, which is responsible for inhibiting calcification in the vascular system," Dr Bergeland explains.

"In fact, important effects of vitamin D for bone and cardiovascular health are indirect: D stimulates the synthesis of vitamin K-dependent proteins, osteocalcin and MGP. These proteins require sufficient amounts of vitamin K to be active."

"With both vitamins commonly lacking in our diets, co-supplementation is advised," he continues. Dr Bergeland adds: "As the majority of vitamin K1 is transported to the liver and used for activation of the coagulation machinery, it does not play a major role in activating the K-dependent proteins outside the liver, like osteocalcin and MGP."

New study highlights combined low vitamin D and K status amplifies mortality risk

The paper, published in the <i>European Journal of Nutrition</i>, explores the association of both plasma vitamin D and K concentrations with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular events in the general population

nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com

 

[mikeyB]

Vit K2 can only be produced by bacteria which we have in our gut. It’s an anaerobic process. Deficiency of it is exceptionally rare. There is no need to buy expensive supplies of Vit D with K2 alongside. The unused K2 gets flushed down the toilet.