According to research results published in the open access journal “PLOS ONE” on January 31, 2024, by Anne-Marie Snoddy of the University of Otago, New Zealand, and colleagues, evidence obtained from teeth indicates that The researchers found that vitamin D deficiency was likely the major problem. .
The 18th and 19th centuries AD were a time of industrialization and urbanization in England. This period was also a time of increased incidence of health problems such as vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and related diseases such as rickets, which may be related to changes in social practices related to class and gender. there is. Previous studies have identified rickets based on skeletal lesions at the Coach Lane cemetery in northern England. In this study, Snoddy et al. build on this work with a new analysis of tooth tissue.
Researchers examined the teeth of 25 people, which had been preserved at the site. The presence of poorly mineralized dentin tissue was used as evidence of a period of her VDD during childhood, and analysis of enamel peptides allowed identification of the chromosomal sex of these individuals. The analysis found that approximately three-quarters of individuals tested showed evidence of poor mineral metabolism during childhood, with the incidence significantly higher in males. In some individuals, the development of tooth tissue shows signs of repeated disturbances from year to year, suggesting a seasonal disease.
These results reveal a higher prevalence of VDD compared with previous studies based on skeletal evidence. The higher incidence of her VDD in men compared to women may be related to social dynamics such as gendered work practices in the industrialized United Kingdom. The authors say that future studies could extend these results by exploring other surrogate factors for VDD and related diseases and by making comparisons between centers in different regions of the world. Suggests.
The authors add: “We found clear evidence of seasonal vitamin D deficiency in the teeth of people living in the north of England. This is interesting because it highlights that this is a factor that is more complex than those associated with the industrial revolution, such as increased indoor work.
Reference magazines:
- Snoddy AME, Shaw H, Newman S, Miszkiewicz JJ, Stewart NA, Jakob T, et al (2024) Vitamin D status in northern England since the Middle Ages: dental tissue at Coach Lane, North Shields (AD 1711-1857). insights from science and enamel peptide analysis. PLoS ONE 19(1): e0296203. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296203
