[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 209 (Thursday, December 10, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H7114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                EDUCATE PEOPLE ON BENEFITS OF VITAMIN D

  (Mr. GROTHMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on vitamin D a bit in the 
past, and I know we are on the verge of passing another coronavirus 
bill.
  I would ask people negotiating that bill to do something to make sure 
that the public is aware of the benefits of vitamin D.
  Yesterday, I talked to a Dr. David Meltzer at the University of 
Chicago, a very brilliant man, and I hope some of the negotiators talk 
to him before a final deal is cut.
  While he cannot nail down a specific amount of people who will not 
have to suffer the severe consequences of vitamin D deficiency, or even 
die at the hands of vitamin D, it is probably somewhere between 40 and 
70 percent. Right now, about half of Americans have a vitamin D 
deficiency. That is going to get worse as we head into the winter 
months and people are not outside getting vitamin D.
  So, I strongly request the negotiators to do something to make sure 
that we stand up to the public health establishment and educate people 
on the importance of vitamin D and see what we can do about getting 
products to the market which accelerate getting vitamin D into your 
bloodstream, because even if you start taking vitamin D tomorrow, you 
don't get the level that you should have for quite a while.
  I am encouraging the negotiators to talk to Dr. David Meltzer, who 
will also fill you in on studies from Ireland, Spain, MIT, Harvard, and 
Northwestern.

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