Casting New Light on the Sunshine Vitamin

Excerpt

Over 90 years have elapsed since Mellanby’s discovery that cod liver oil could heal rickets in dogs [1], and it is over 40 years since it was found that the prohormone 25-hydroxyvitamin D must be hydroxylated to convert into its active form 1,25(OH)₂D [2]. Following these discoveries one might have been forgiven for thinking that there was not much more to learn about vitamin D and its metabolism, but as it has turned out, nothing could be further from the truth. There remain many unanswered questions regarding the optimal circulating levels of vitamin D that are required for bone health and for general health, especially in relation to a range of chronic diseases such as bowel cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease [3]. …