Vitamin D has become a hot topic in recent years, largely because failure to get enough of it is associated with multiple diseases, and because much of the general population is deficient in this micronutrient.
Since 1930, when its chemical structure was first identified, significant advances have been made in research into vitamin D’s functions in the body. Initially, studies focused on the role of this compound and its metabolites in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. Later, with the discovery of the metabolised forms of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in 1968 and then 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D (1,25 (OH)2D), research expanded and focused on the role it plays in the onset of immunological diseases, infections and cancer, as well as chronic non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Currently, there is no doubt that vitamin D plays a role in regulating the immune system; vitamin D deficiency is actually associated with a worse prognosis for COVID-19 infection.
Epidemiological data from 2020 shows that 40 per cent of Europe’s population are not getting enough vitamin D. In the US, 24 per cent of people are lacking it, as are 37 per cent of Canadians. These high figures are cause for alarm. The population groups most at risk are pregnant women, children, the elderly, obese people, individuals with darker skin tones, and those with little exposure to sunlight.