Microsoft word - foodfax10q2.doc

The term vitamin is historically derived from the Large quantities of animal-based vitamin D3 is Latin term “vitamine” (also the current French produced through irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol spelling), the combination of “vita” meaning “life” and extracted from lanolin in sheep's wool. Current “amine”, a nitrogen-containing organic compound. marketplace preference for D3 over D2 owes to the When it was later determined that these disease- fact that provitamin D in mammalian skin is a D3 preventing bioactives are not amines, the English metabolite. However, both D2 and D3 metabolites term was morphed to ‘vitamin’. As vitamins were are inherently biologically inactive, until a two-step sequentially discovered, they were given a process involving first the liver, then the kidney, “nickname” in addition to their chemical name, in converts each to calcitriol, the most active form of descending order from the Roman alphabet, from A Vitamin D. Regulatory authorities worldwide accept to E. The break in the sequence occurred with the the biological equivalency of the two metabolites for discovery of Vitamin K in 1984, so named to indicate both fortification and supplementation purposes. the German and Scandinavian word “Koagulation”, However, in 2006, two leading Canadian nutritionists published their disapproval of Vitamin D2, concluding suitable for supplementation or fortification” while The first isolated vitamin D product, discovered acknowledging the critical role of Vitamin D2 to during the 1920’s, resulted from photosynthetic human health before Vitamin D3 was widely irradiation of the fungus-based compound fungal available. (See Websites). As is customary, for every sterol ergosterol. It was known as Vitamin D until study that concludes Vitamin D3 superiority, another the discovery that it was a combination of several soon surfaces to render Vitamin D2 trump card. substances. Further purification yielded a single compound, hence called Vitamin D2. For a period of time it was assumed that the vitamin D produced Fortification of plant-based beverages (soy, photosynthetically in human skin from exposure to almond, oat, etc.) with Vitamin D is voluntary. The metabolite of choice by supplier and buyer of these vitamin D compound with a side chain of cholesterol products is exclusively plant-based D2, so as to was discovered, called cholecalciferol, or to follow Vitamin D3 was found to be chemically similar to the As epidemiological evidence from North America vitamin D in fish liver oils and in mammalian skin. and Europe consistently and convincingly indicates a startling Vitamin D deficiency among all age groups, including re-emergence of rickets among children, is process was patented in the 1920s, followed by access to large quantities of this compound. discrediting either metabolite? FF
Widespread fortification of fluid milk with Vitamin D initiated in the 1930’s in North America and Europe, http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/4/694 ranked successfully eliminated the bone-disease rickets. 6th amongst the “50 most read AJCN articles”) Present day fortification of milk with either metabolite http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&d has eradicated infantile rickets. Vitamin D2 continues to be the metabolite used in major pharmaceutical 2010 International Food Focus Ltd., 211 Carlton Street, East prescriptions in North America. However, recently, Office, Toronto, ON M5A 2K9 T: 416-924-3266 Vitamin D3 has become available, and the metabolite F: 416-924-2726 E: [email protected] of choice for fortification and supplementation.
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