Meeting summary note: December 2008: Vitamin D and Chronic Disease
Author/Editor: Jane Landon
Produced by: National Heart Forum
Cost: Free
Download Available: Vitamin D and Chronic Disease meeting summary (159 KB)
This document is a summary note of the National Heart Forum's members meeting,
Vitamin D and Chronic Disease, which was held in London on the 12 December 2008.
This meeting was held to discuss key issues surrounding emerging evidence about the role of vitamin D deficiency in the development of chronic diseases, and the implications for public health policy.
Low vitamin D status has also been implicated in a range of diseases including cardiovascular disease, some cancers, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis and diabetes.
The key questions discussed were:
- What are the opitimum levels of vitamin D for health?
- What are the benefits and potential risks of different approaches to improve vitamin D status through sunlight exposure, dietary advice, food fortification and dietary supplements?
- How should this analysis inform future public health strategies?
Speakers included:
- Professor David Fraser, Emeritus Professor in Animal Science, University of Sydney, Australia
- Dr Michael Burch, consultant cardiologist, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
- Dr Tony Williams, consultant in Neonatal Paediatrics and Reader in Child Nutrition, St George's University of London
- Dr Alison Tedstone, head of Nutrition Science, Food Standards Agency
- Dr Oliver Gillie, author of 'Sunlight Robbery' and 'Scotland's Health Deficit: An Explanation and a Plan'.
The meeting was chaired by Professor Joy Townsend, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
For further information related to the above, please contact Jane Landon during office hours at 020 7383 7638.
Pdf's of the presentations are available to NHF members by contacting Dan French at nhf-post@heartforum.org.uk.
Please note: This document is not the National Heart Forum's official Policy Position Statement on this subject.