Is the FDA Commissioner Ready for Vitamin D?
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is expressing his, and the administration's, interests in health and nutrition.
- The Agency is moving forward to require calorie counts for restaurants and grocery stores;
- The updated Nutrition Facts label, albeit delayed, will be mandated and enforced;
- It was just announced FDA intends to define "healthy" and perhaps brand the term with a government seal, and
- Is taking a rather aggressive stand, in the face of CPG opposition, on reducing the amount of sodium in food.
- Perhaps most interesting, FDA is interested in streamlining the process for reviewing qualified health claims!
Buried in this array of
activity is FDA's recognition that the promotion of health requires us to address nutrient deficiency, imposing a new requirement for listing vitamin D on food labels - backed up by the body of research supporting vitamin D's role in bone health.
While many will take issue with the details of these efforts, I'm curious to learn if there's room for a little more sunlight at the FDA, and a conversation about vitamin D and how it significantly reduces preterm birthrates.
“Pregnant women who have higher serum vitamin D levels have a decreased risk of preterm birth.
Adding a vitamin D3 supplement to your healthy diet can help increase your serum vitamin D levels. Your healthcare practitioner can measure your serum vitamin D levels and determine the appropriate dosage of vitamin D3 for you.”
Now we are preparing for our visit to Capitol Hill on April 12, and the education lunch highlighting the amazing research of the Medical University of South Carolina and GrassrootsHealth. We'll keep you posted on social media as we move around the halls of Congress promoting health for the next generation of Americans.
Karen
Karen E. Howard
Executive Director/CEO
