Demographic Differences and Trends of Vitamin D Insufficiency in the US Population, 1988-2004

Abstract

In the past, many health care professionals believed that the major health problems resulting from vitamin D deficiency were rickets in children¹ and osteomalacia in adults,² which were greatly reduced by the fortification of foods with vitamin D. Recently, there has been intense interest in the role of vitamin D in a variety of nonskeletal medical conditions. Indeed, vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with increases in cardiovascular disease,^3-5 cancer,^6-9 and infection.^10-13 Vitamin D supplementation appears to mitigate the incidence and adverse outcomes of these diseases and may reduce all-cause mortality.^14-17