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Vitamin D Fortification in North America: Current Status and Future Considerations

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Handbook of Food Fortification and Health

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

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Abstract

Until the last decade, adequacy of vitamin D status was not a public health concern, because vitamin D synthesis from sun exposure was thought to meet most of the North American populations’ needs and the ubiquitous fortification of milk was thought to provide sufficient intake when sun exposure was limited. More recently, a growing incidence of rickets in infants and evidence from national surveys showing high prevalence of poor vitamin D status in children and adults is slowly eroding our confidence in the vitamin D adequacy of many Americans and Canadians, as well as in other developed countries [1–3]. Concern about the high prevalence of poor vitamin D status stems from the significant association of low plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D {25(OH)D} levels with the increased risk of both chronic and infectious disease, but most strongly with the chronic bone diseases, osteoporosis, and rickets in children [1–4].

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Abbreviations

1,25(OH)2D:

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D

25(OH)D:

25-Hydroxyvitamin D

AI:

Adequate intake

CHMS:

Canadian health measures survey

DRI:

Dietary Recommended Intake

EAR:

Estimated average requirement

IOM:

Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences

NHANES:

National Health and Nutrition Education Survey

RDA:

Recommended Daily Allowance

UL:

Upper level of safe intake

USDA:

US Department of Agriculture

Vitamin D2:

Ergocalciferol

Vitamin D3:

Cholecalciferol

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 8301 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD, 20708, USA

    Mona S. Calvo PhD

  2. College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, Canada, S7N 5C9

    Susan J. Whiting PhD

Authors
  1. Mona S. Calvo PhD
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  2. Susan J. Whiting PhD
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Correspondence to Mona S. Calvo PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences, School of Medicine, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  2. University Hospital Lewisham, Department of Gastroenterology, Department of Gastroenterology, Kings College Hospital, London, SM68SU, United Kingdom

    Rajaventhan Srirajaskanthan

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London, W1W 6UW, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Calvo, M.S., Whiting, S.J. (2013). Vitamin D Fortification in North America: Current Status and Future Considerations. In: Preedy, V., Srirajaskanthan, R., Patel, V. (eds) Handbook of Food Fortification and Health. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7110-3_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7110-3_21

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

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