2011 Science News of the Year: Nutrition
By Science News
Howard Oates/Istockphoto
The value of vitamin D
The simmering debate over vitamin D came to a boil as the scientific organization representing hormone experts embraced daily recommendations for the vitamin that far exceed those put forward in late 2010 by a U.S. Institute of Medicine panel. The Endocrine Society asserted in July that people need two to three times as much vitamin D as the IOM had recommended (SN: 7/16/11, p. 22). The IOM daily levels top out at 600 to 800 international units for most people, the amount found in many multivitamins.
In calling for substantially more D, the endocrinologists cited widespread deficiency in all age groups and pointed out that very few foods naturally contain the vitamin.