tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246421.post1003306952499655816..comments2023-10-10T01:03:46.375+12:00Comments on Food &Health Skeptic: jonjayrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13363092874281160320noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246421.post-74161522927682172012009-10-30T18:08:00.061+11:302009-10-30T18:08:00.061+11:30I reckon they probably do add vitamin D to dairy p...I reckon they probably do add vitamin D to dairy products, only there are a few problems with that. The obsession with low fat means for people who eat only low-fat food (and make their children do the same) it's harder for their body to absorb vitamins A, D, and E as you need a decent amount of fat in your small intestine to be able to absorb these vitamins. That's why those "fortified" 0-1% fat milks are a joke. There's not enough fat in them to make use of the vitamins and minerals! You need the vitamin D absorbtion to aid with calcium absorbtion.<br /><br />It may also depend on what kind of vitamin D is being used to fortify dairy products. Often ergocalciferal (D2) is used, but it's pretty useless because it's the form of vitamin D made and used by PLANTS. Humans need cholecalciferol (D3), found in animal products particularly fish and eggs (as well as being manufactured by our bodies on exposure to sunlight). The human body has a hard time converting ergocalciferol to cholecalciferol, very little of ingested D2 turns into D3. <br /><br />We also need cholesterol to make the vitamin D we can use! So we need to be eating enough fats, including saturated fats, for our bodies to manufacture cholesterol.<br /><br />And some people just can't make enough vitamin D from sunlight exposure, it depends on the individual. So eating D3-rich foods with fat or taking D3 supplements, preferably an oil-based form, is important for them. <br /><br />I think it has also recently been discovered that we may need a lot more vitamin D than previously thought. The original concern over vitamin D was getting enough to prevent rickets. Now that we know that vitamin D is a secosteroid, we know it has many more uses in the body than bone-related ones. My doctor (who is definitely not into quackery) says that the only way to tell how much D3 you need is to have regular blood tests over a period of time while ajusting your intake.Lenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246421.post-75753012401922648842009-10-30T12:02:43.835+11:302009-10-30T12:02:43.835+11:30"This problem was beaten decades ago by addin...<i>"This problem was beaten decades ago by adding vitamin D to butter and margarine. Is that no longer done?"</i> <br /> <br />Well... Yes and no. Most <b>whole</b> milk is "vitamin D added" but some two, one, or zero percent [fat] milk may not have the added ingredient. <br /> <br />Note also that the 1-in-5 potentially deficient children mention is about the percentage of black+"Latino" children in the general populace, and these groups are often lactose-intolerant, at least with respect to cow milk.John Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00801684602403824157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246421.post-64310232005365820732009-10-30T11:10:15.507+11:302009-10-30T11:10:15.507+11:30Not all butter is fortified with vitamin D in the ...Not all butter is fortified with vitamin D in the USA. (The butter in my fridge, in fact, is not.) <br /><br />That said, afaik, all milk is, indeed, fortified with vitamin D so I'm a bit puzzled by this result as well--do kids not drink milk anymore??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com