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Comment by Hallucinaut | Hacker News Reader

Same reason governments filter the water or remove lead from paint; just because knowledge is available doesn't mean all citizens can and will act on it, and sometimes lowering the barrier is all that's needed.

Moreover, I'd argue older generations in particular are more susceptible to believing what the doctor says. Just having the research available and the vitamins on the shelf isn't going to have nearly the same uptake as a centralised push.

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Vitamin D is the only supplement that the NHS suggests that most people should take as a matter of course. But the logistics of getting it out to everyone would be tough. Easier to recommend it and let people buy it.

I think most places add it to milk. I supplement during the darkest six weeks of the year (which is starting very soon). It does seem like there could be a bigger seasonal push. Maybe not from the government but from somewhere.

I think this would be the best solution: to add it to the milk products during the winter! Most people would get it, there would be (almost) no public discussion about it and the immune systems would be strengthened. People not buying milk could still buy it like today!

This already is done year round. But there are a lot more vegans now.

Vitamin D is added in Alpro soy milk and the Oatly oat milk that I drink in Sweden, along with vitamin B12 and calcium. It's all equal to the levels found in cow's milk. There are organic variants of the above that don't allow fortification, but I choose the fortified ones.

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