Who Popularized Vitamins and the Nutritional Revolution?

January 13, 2026 •

4 min read

In 1912, Polish American biochemist Casimir Funk coined the term "vitamine" after his groundbreaking work on deficiency diseases like beriberi. This moment sparked a global awareness of essential nutrients, with a coalition of researchers, public health officials, and marketers working to popularize vitamins and transform modern nutrition.

Quick Summary

The popularization of vitamins involved key figures like Casimir Funk, who coined the term, and Elmer McCollum, who isolated the first ones. Their discoveries of essential nutrients and the link to deficiency diseases paved the way for public health campaigns, fortified foods, and the modern supplement industry in the early 20th century.

Key Points

Casimir Funk Coined the Term: In 1912, Polish biochemist Casimir Funk gave us the word "vitamine," making the concept of essential nutrients accessible to the wider scientific community and public.
Elmer McCollum Discovered the First Vitamins: American biochemist Elmer McCollum identified the first vitamins, A and B, in the 1910s using pioneering animal-based research, laying the groundwork for vitamin classification.
Rickets Eradicated by Vitamin D Discovery: McCollum also identified vitamin D in cod liver oil in 1922, and subsequent milk fortification campaigns helped virtually eliminate rickets in developed nations.
Public Health and Fortification: The US government established Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) during World War II, leading to the mass fortification of staple foods like bread and milk with essential vitamins.
Mass Marketing and Supplements: The vitamin industry expanded rapidly in the mid-20th century with innovative marketing campaigns and the mass production of supplements, making vitamins a household staple.

The Coining of the Term by Casimir Funk

While the healing properties of certain foods for specific ailments were known for centuries (e.g., citrus for scurvy), the modern understanding of vitamins began with Polish biochemist Casimir Funk. Working in London in the early 20th century, Funk was investigating the cause of beriberi, a neurological disease prevalent in populations consuming polished white rice. In 1911, he isolated a crucial substance from rice husks and proposed that diseases like beriberi, scurvy, and pellagra were caused by a lack of these vital amines, or "vitamines". Although it was later discovered that not all such substances were amines, the shortened term "vitamin" stuck and became the public face of the new science of nutrition. Funk's influential 1912 book and subsequent publications brought these concepts to the wider scientific community, laying the groundwork for the modern vitamin movement.

Elmer McCollum and the Discovery of "Accessory Factors"

Simultaneously, American biochemist Elmer McCollum was making his own breakthroughs. Using a pioneering rat colony at the University of Wisconsin, McCollum and his associate Marguerite Davis conducted feeding experiments that identified crucial "accessory food substances" beyond just protein, fats, and carbohydrates.

1913: McCollum demonstrated that a fat-soluble substance was essential for growth and health, naming it "fat-soluble A" (which was later determined to be vitamin A).
1915: His team further identified a water-soluble substance, calling it "water-soluble B" (eventually vitamin B). McCollum's work, combined with Funk's terminology, provided a framework for systematically identifying and naming these new, vital nutrients.

The Popularization of Vitamin D and Fortified Foods

Following the discovery of vitamins A and B, the hunt for other essential factors intensified. Rickets, a debilitating bone disease in children, was a major public health issue in the early 20th century.

Discovery: In 1922, McCollum and his team demonstrated that cod liver oil, long used as a folk remedy, contained a distinct anti-rachitic factor, which he named vitamin D.
Fortification: Harry Steenbock at the University of Wisconsin developed a process to irradiate foods with ultraviolet light to increase their vitamin D content. The subsequent licensing of this patent led to the fortification of milk with vitamin D in the 1930s, a campaign that virtually eradicated rickets in developed nations.

From Laboratory to Lunch Table: Marketing and Public Health

In the 1920s and 30s, the concept of vitamins moved from scientific journals to popular culture. Marketers used innovative campaigns to sell nutrient-rich foods and, later, vitamin supplements.

"Bottled Sunshine": Cod liver oil was promoted as "bottled sunshine," highlighting its vitamin D benefits.
Brand Promotion: Companies like Kellogg's introduced fortified cereals like "Pep" to meet the new nutritional demands of consumers. During World War II, concerns over the health of military recruits led the US government to establish the first recommended dietary allowances (RDAs). This led to the mandatory enrichment of staples like flour and bread with B vitamins, solidifying the role of vitamins in public health policy.

Comparison: Early Vitamin Pioneers and Modern Advocacy


Aspect	Casimir Funk & Early Discoverers	Linus Pauling & Modern Advocates
Focus	Identifying essential nutrients to cure specific deficiency diseases (e.g., beriberi, scurvy).	Promoting high-dose vitamin supplementation (e.g., vitamin C) for general health, illness prevention (colds), and chronic diseases.
Research Scope	Laboratory experiments and observational studies to link nutrients to specific diseases.	Extended beyond deficiency correction to explore high-dose applications, often generating significant controversy.
Public Impact	Established the foundational concepts of vitaminology and spurred the fortification of staple foods.	Sparked widespread public interest in dietary supplements and megadoses, fueling the growth of the supplement industry.
Legacy	Recognized for fundamental scientific contributions and the naming of vitamins.	Legacy includes both increased vitamin awareness and ongoing scientific debate about high-dose supplementation efficacy.

The Legacy and Ongoing Evolution

The story of vitamin popularization is not just about a few key figures, but a collective effort by scientists, doctors, and marketers that fundamentally changed how we view nutrition. The establishment of RDAs and food fortification programs in the mid-20th century, driven by wartime necessity and subsequent prosperity, made vitamin deficiency diseases rare in many parts of the world. The legacy of these pioneers is a population that is highly aware of the importance of these essential nutrients, even if modern debates continue about the necessity and efficacy of widespread supplementation, a movement partly fueled by later advocates like Linus Pauling.

Conclusion: A Revolution in Public Health

The popularization of vitamins was a transformative public health revolution driven by the early 20th-century discoveries of biochemists like Casimir Funk and Elmer McCollum. Their work identified the essential nutrients required for human health, leading to the eradication of many deficiency diseases. The journey from isolating unknown "accessory factors" to the mass marketing and government-mandated fortification of foods illustrates the powerful intersection of scientific discovery, public policy, and consumer culture. Today, the initial scientific breakthroughs of Funk and McCollum remain the cornerstone of modern nutritional science, a lasting testament to their foundational contributions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Casimir Funk was a Polish biochemist who is often called the 'father of vitamin therapy'. In 1912, he coined the term "vitamine" after his research suggested that essential organic substances could cure deficiency diseases like beriberi and scurvy.

Elmer McCollum, an American biochemist, was instrumental in the early 20th century. Using a rat colony, he discovered the first vitamins, A and B, providing concrete evidence of the existence of these essential 'accessory food factors'.

Elmer McCollum's discovery of vitamin D led to the eradication of rickets, a bone-deforming disease, in many developed countries. The fortification of milk with vitamin D, developed by Harry Steenbock, was a key public health initiative that ensured widespread intake of the nutrient.

While early vitamin preparations existed, the mass production and widespread marketing of vitamin supplements, including the first one-a-day multivitamin, occurred in the 1940s and 1950s. Wartime nutritional concerns and subsequent consumer culture accelerated this trend.

Marketers creatively promoted vitamins to the public through magazine ads and clever slogans. For example, cod liver oil, a source of vitamin D, was marketed as "bottled sunshine," connecting the scientific benefit to an easily understood, appealing concept.

Before the supplement industry, vitamins were sourced from natural foods. For instance, Casimir Funk isolated a factor from rice husks, and scientists like Albert Szent-Györgyi isolated vitamin C from paprika. Many public health campaigns focused on promoting a balanced diet of whole foods to prevent deficiencies.

During WWII, a high rate of poor nutrition in military recruits prompted the US government to establish the first recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for vitamins. This led to mandatory food enrichment programs, such as adding B vitamins to flour and bread, further integrating vitamins into the daily diet.