Standing on the shoulders of giants: Understanding calcium and vitamin D requirements

The quote by Sir Isaac Newton, ‘If I have seen further it is by standing on ye sholders of Giants’ was the theme of the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) Annual Lecture 2012. Illustrations of the seminal contributions of six ‘giants’ of nutrition science, chosen because of their links to the BNF and to vitamin and mineral research in Cambridge, were used to give a historical context to recent studies and controversies on calcium and vitamin D requirements, particularly focusing on rickets and maternal and child nutrition.