vitimin D deficiency in children

Does your child get enough vitamin D in their diet? Probably not, according to several different doctors and health organizations, who within the past year have come out with numerous recommendations that parents up their children's vitamin D intake. The most recent recommendation: On October 20, 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics came out and stated that all children should be given a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IUs.

Why It's Important
A problem that pediatricians thought had been solved with the vitamin D fortification of milk, cereal and other foods; vitamin D deficiency is once again emerging as a significant health risk in children. In a June 2008 study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Health, Dr. Catherine Gordon and her colleagues at the Children's Hospital in Boston tested toddlers for vitamin D intake. They found that 40% of toddlers tested below average levels. A previous study by Dr. Gordon among adolescents found that 42% of the older kids were deficient as well. "Vitamin D deficiency was twice as common in teens as we assumed it would be," she stated, adding that research from her and others has shown it to be a bigger health problem than anyone ever realized.

The potential adverse health consequences of not getting enough vitamin D are numerous:

1)	A deficiency in vitamin D can cause a child's bones to be half of the density they should be.

2)	It affects bone structure and growth

3)	Weak teeth and dental erosion can be caused by a vitamin D deficiency

4)	It can lead to rickets

5)	Not enough vitamin D has also been linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, heart attack and diabetes.

The Causes
Several factors are leading to this condition. Children are consuming more junk food and less milk and other vitamin D rich foods. The childhood obesity epidemic is contributing to the problem as well, as fat cells trap vitamin D, preventing it from being absorbed into the vital organs. But the biggest problem is a lack of sunlight. The body can store vitamin D from foods and vitamin supplements, but unlike other vitamins, it requires ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun in order to metabolize it into a form that the body can actually use. More pollution and greater use of sunscreen (SPF 15 blocks 99 percent of UVB light), along with the unfortunate fact that children are spending less and less time outside, is leading to major deficiencies in vitamin D. Estimates are that worldwide, around a billion people are either at risk of becoming or are already vitamin D deficient.

What Parents Should Do

·	Start your children on a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IUs. Such supplements are available at any local grocery store.