“Vitamin D – why does it matter?” – Defining Vitamin D deficiency and its prevalence

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in about 50 % of adults and limited data support a similar prevalence in children. This is of concern, as vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for falls and fractures and several double-blind RCTs provide evidence that supplementation reduces the risk of fall and fractures among the senior population. Further, large epidemiologic studies consistently report that vitamin D deficiency confers an increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease and cancer, especially colo-rectal cancer. However, as large clinical trials for non-musculoskeletal endpoints are missing today, public health recommendations are based primarily on bone health to argue vitamin D repletion in the population.

Key Words::

• vitamin D deficiency
• falls
• fractures
• children
• adults

Declaration of interest: The author report no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.