Biocultural perspectives of vitamin D deficiency in the past

•Vitamin D deficiency contributes to understanding past societies.•Data on vitamin D deficiency illuminates the experience of marginal individuals.•Biocultural and life course approaches enhance interpretations of paleopathology.

Recently, significant attention has been paid to aspects of health associated with vitamin D deficiency in the current population; this interest has coincided with identification of paleopathological features of deficiency. Vitamin D is synthesised in the skin on exposure to sunlight, and is also obtained through a small number of dietary sources. There are a number of causes of deficiency, but those linked to sunlight and diet are most common. Latitude is important, but factors such as skin pigmentation, clothing, housing style, environmental conditions, work practices, and diet – including breastfeeding and weaning – also contribute. These factors have been the subject of a number of recent epidemiological studies illustrating diverse causes, many of which are directly linked to social and cultural factors. In this paper we review current clinical, epidemiological and bioarchaeological studies of vitamin D deficiency, highlighting the biocultural and life course dimensions that can be brought to studies of this condition in the past. We demonstrate that within the context of past communities vitamin D status represents a very significant source of information that can contribute to the analysis of the organisation, operation, and evolution of past human societies.