VITAMIN D NUTRITIONAL POLICY IN EUROPE: THE NEED FOR PREVENTION, EDUCATION AND CONSUMER CHOICE
http://www.pa-international.org/ConferencePressRelease.htm
CALL FOR ACTION
If we prevent Vitamin D deficiency and with it possibly diseases, we will actually prevent healthcare costs and reduce the economic burden on our public health systems. » MEP Áder
On 23 March 2010, the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), the Vitamin D Workshop and PA International Foundation jointly organised a conference in the European Parliament in Brussels. This conference provided a unique opportunity for stakeholders to bring the issue of widespread Vitamin D deficiency to the fore, at European level.
We all learned a lot today - now we have some homework to do. We should all ‘spread the word’ and educate people about Vitamin D » MEP Dr Weisgerber The event which took place under the patronage of János Áder, MEP (EPP), brought together a distinguished panel of experts, doctors, politicians, and patients’ representatives.
The keynote speakers set the scene, identified the causes of the increased prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency affecting at least 50% of the population, highlighted the strong evidence on its impact on bone and muscle health, and the ever growing data linking it with a wide range of other conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer (e.g. colorectal, breast, prostate), diabetes, infectious diseases and multiple sclerosis.
A good Vitamin D and calcium intake can reduce falls, hip and non-vertebral fractures by 20% » Prof. Bischoff-Ferrari Extra Vitamin D intake emerged as the evident, cheap, easy and safe solution to such a widespread problem, especially for the most vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young children and pregnant women. As sun exposure may contribute to skin cancer and Vitamin D intake merely via diet is usually not sufficient, supplements and/or fortified food were identified as the only viable options - at least for people at risk.
All parties involved agreed on a strong call for action towards policy-makers to bring the topic higher on the agenda and to strengthen prevention as the only sustainable way to decrease the burden of disease and of its related suffering.
The solution is in our hands ! » Dr Radziwill, President of CPME, welcomed that doctors, patients and politicians joined forces in this appeal. heard the call and committed to make the best use of the European Parliament’s power in promoting this public health issue. MEP Dr Weisgerber in closing the conference invited participants back to the Parliament in 2011 to review progress.
Education and awareness-raising is key, not only among the population but also among healthcare professionals, in order to spread the knowledge and ultimately enable consumers’ choice. Therefore, the media and all stakeholders have an important role to play in order to spread the message !
Today's conference was one of the most important that I have had the pleasure of attending and the statistics given by the expert panel, together with the range of diseases caused by Vitamin D deficiency illustrate that there is a huge amount of work to be done in terms of bridging the public awareness of the importance of the nutritional value of Vitamin D. » MEP Higgins
The host organisations have committed themselves to supporting the interested policy-makers in both Brussels and the Member States in their important role in raising awareness and promoting Vitamin D deficiency as a public health priority.