Symposium held June 12, 2012

Organised by

• Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Nutrition

• International Life Sciences Institute SEAR Australasia

  some text extracted from PDF attached at the bottom of this page

Objectives:To address this public health issue by:

1. raising the awareness of academics, government, industry and food regulators of the key public health issue of vitamin D deficiency in the Australian population,

2. highlighting to the government that urgent consideration needs to be given to allowing more vitamin D into the food supply,

3. Proposing food based strategies to effectively increase vitamin D intake of the Australian and New Zealand populations.

Program:_

9.30 - Prof Andrew Sinclair, Australian Academy of Science National Committee for Nutrition and ILSI SEAR A'asia Introduction and welcome

9.40 - Prof Caryl Nowson, Deakin University

Overview: Impact of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency on health

10.10 -Prof Rob Daly, Deakin University Vitamin D status of adult Australians

10.30 -Assoc Prof Andre Renzaho, Monash University

Vitamin D status of dark skinned migrant populations and indigenous Australians

11.10 Prof Susan Whiting, University of Saskatchewan

Impact of mandatory fortification of milk with vitamin D in Canada

11.40 -Prof Rebecca Mason, University of Sydney

How effective is sunlight exposure in maintaining adequate vitamin D status in Australians?

12.00 -Panel discussion

Chair: Prof Caryl Nowson

1.00 -Dr Georgia Paxton, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne

Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy and young children in Australia

1.30 Prof John McGrath, University of Queensland Vitamin D and mental health ? U shaped relationship

1.50 - Prof Peter Ebeling, University of Melbourne Emerging areas relating vitamin D to health

2.10 - Ms Janine Lewis, FSANZ

Current food regulations for vitamin D in Australia and New Zealand

2.35 - Mr Greg Seymour, Australian Mushroom Growers' Association

Vitamin D Mushrooms - The natural solution to Australia's vitamin D problems

Mr Wouter Claerhout, DSM Nutritional Products Ltd; A perfect storm

3.00 - Panel discussion - Food supply options for increasing vitamin D status of Australians and New Zealanders

Chair: Dr Dave Roberts

Apparently

Vitamin D must be added to Australian margarine but fortification is voluntary for milk, yoghurts and cheese.

See also Vitamin D Life

• RCT confirms that Australians need at least 2000 IU vitamin D – Dec 2012

• Australia and NZ position vitamin D position statement – June 2012

• All items in category Food Sources for Vitamin D items

• All items in category Fortification of vitamin D items

• All items in category Australia and New Zealand items

• Majority of those living in the ozone hole lack vitamin D Blog post March 15 2012

• Australia is considering cutting vitamin D testing – March 2011

• New Zealand consensus: at risk should take more Vitamin D – March 2012

• “Sunlight Officers” in some Australian senior facilities – Sept 2011

• 10X increase in vitamin D tests in Australia – time for the doctors to learn about vitamin D – April 2011

• Most Australian GPs still believe the myth than 10 minutes of sun a day is enough – June 2011

• Huge increase in food allergies in Australia may be due to low vitamin D

• Vitamin D deficiency and testing in Australia are epidemics - Aug 2011

• Black Sudanese children 350X more likely to have rickets than white Australians – April 2012

• 73 % of Australians had too little vitamin D a decade ago – Dec 2011

• Vitamin D Recommendations which has the following graph of recommendations

Note: ALL 25 of the recommendations are greater than the 20 ng recommended by govts of Australia and the US

• Vitamin D for most regions of the world include Australia and NZ
  • # Rectangle = population-based study: Australia has 32-40 nmol = 13 to 16 ng

Percent of population with less than 20 ng of vitamin D has the following chart: note both Australia and NZ