There is enthusiasm recently regarding the health effects of vitamin D. Some doctors are recommending people spend more time in the sun, as skin (especially white skin) makes vitamin D on exposure to UV, while foods are generally low in vitamin D. This is especially a problem for people with dark skin - there is some thought that white skin evolved to help people in high latitudes make more vitamin D.

I propose that foods could be enriched for vitamin D simply by irradiating them with UV at the same time they are cooked. UV attachments could be put with the heat lamps in fast food places, and attached to microwave ovens. Cholesterol containing foods would then have some cholesterol converted to vitamin D while they cook. This avoids expensive supplements, risky sun exposure recommendations, and helps dark-skinned people as well.
-- bungston, Jun 07 2005

Vitamin D: good. http://www.detnews....5/31/A14-188853.htm
[bungston, Jun 07 2005]

Vitamin D chemistry http://vitamind.ucr.edu/chem.html
This has diagrams showing how UV acts to generate vitamin D. I find it interesting that D is considered a vitamin - most other vitamins are things we require in our diets (eg Vitamin C) - but vitamin D can be synthesized. [bungston, Jun 07 2005]

random, halfbakery