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Evolution, Biologic Functions, and Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vitamin D

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Vitamin D

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

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Abstract

Approximately 400 million years ago, as vertebrates ventured from the ocean onto land, they were confronted with a significant crisis. As they had evolved in the calcium-rich ocean environment, they utilized this abundant cation for signal transduction and a wide variety of cellular and metabolic processes. In addition, calcium became a major component of the skeleton of marine animals and provided the “cement” for structural support. However, on land, the environment was deficient in calcium; as a result, early marine vertebrates that ventured onto land needed to develop a mechanism to utilize and process the scarce amounts of calcium in their environment in order to maintain their calcium-dependent cellular and metabolic activities and also satisfy the large requirement for calcium to mineralize their skeletons.

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Authors
  1. Michael F. Holick
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  1. Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Michael F. Holick PhD, MD

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Holick, M.F. (1999). Evolution, Biologic Functions, and Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vitamin D. In: Holick, M.F. (eds) Vitamin D. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2861-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2861-3_1

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2863-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2861-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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