Is vitamin D deficiency a problem in America?
At the turn of the century, vitamin D deficiency led to an epidemic of rickets (softening of the bones) in U.S. urban centers. We solved the vitamin D deficiency largely through the fortification of foods. However, this fortification proved to be too much as peanut butter, hot dogs, soda, bread, and even beer were fortified with vitamin D. Excessive amounts of vitamin D also were added to some milk products, causing toxic amounts of vitamin D to reach infants and young children. The Federal government then restricted the number of foods that could be fortified with vitamin D and also the amounts in those foods. Over the last decade, however, evidence is showing a reemergence of vitamin D deficiency in the United States.
