Vitamin D and public health
Is current UK public health policy on vitamin D fit for purpose?

Annual Caroline Walker Lecture delivered by Oliver Gillie
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at Kensington Town Hall, London

Dark forces
“… science should not be discussed just in technical monotone. Nutrition and food policy is everybody’s business, and I believe, as did the founders of the Royal Society, that the most vital scientific issues need dynamic expression and
vigorous debate in plain language. Everybody concerned with the sustenance of the whole living world now and in the future, is in a battle against dark forces.”

Geoffrey Cannon – The Fate of Nations – Caroline Walker Trust Lecture 2003 In this lecture I attempt to go beyond the scientific monotone referred to by Geoffrey Cannon and, indeed, to tackle dark forces of a kind. To avoid the technical monotone I have brought in celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and  Jacqueline du Pré whose illnesses illustrate the consequences of vitamin D deficiency. Critics may say I have wasted time on this when I should have been delving further into significant differences and meta-analysis but I make no apology. The data on vitamin D and disease is now very extensive, yet it remains little known. So I have attempted to stimulate interest and arouse curiosity in the hope that you will search for more evidence and apply your own critical judgement.

Click here for the full PDF of the lecture