A growing number of individuals may benefit from taking nutritional supplements to boost their vitamin D levels, as new research indicates that consumption of foods containing the nutrient has dropped precipitously over the course of the last three decades.

The findings could have important implications for the health of millions of people. Vitamin D has been shown to play a key role in the preservation of bone health and in supporting immune health. The study suggests that many people may be at risk for health problems.

For the study, a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota analyzed survey data collected between 1980 and 2009. The results showed that consumption of foods containing vitamin D decreased by 15 percent over this time period.

The researchers wrote in their report that this may be one of the primary reasons why doctors say they are seeing so many cases of vitamin D deficiency these days.

Given the fact that vitamin D plays such a large role in many key areas of health, individuals may benefit from taking steps to boost their intake of the nutrient. Dietary supplements may be one way to accomplish this.