(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Vitamin D levels in children across the United
States are lower than experts consider healthy.
In a nationally representative study out of Children's Hospital Boston,
researchers found about 20 percent of children in the United States fall
below the 50nmol/L standard requirement of Vitamin D recommended by the
American Academy of Pediatrics. Two-thirds of all children fall below the
75nmol/L level, including 80 percent of Hispanic children and 92 percent of
black children.
Many studies argue that 75nmol/ L, or even 100nmol/ L may be necessary to
lower risks of cancer and heart disease.
“If 75 nmol/L or higher is eventually demonstrated to be the healthy normal
level of vitamin D, then there is much more vitamin D deficiency in the U.S.
than people realize,” lead study author Jonathon Mansbach, M.D., at
Children’s Hospital Boston, was quoted as saying.
Dr. Mansbach and his team studied almost 5,000 children, ages 1 to 11,
demographically representing the national population.
Dr. Mansbach recommends all children take vitamin D supplements to achieve
healthy levels. Certain foods such as liver and fatty fish offer vitamin D,
but these foods are rarely eaten enough by children to obtain enough of the
nutrient. Sunshine also offers vitamin D, but sunblock used to protect
against skin cancer also blocks against the ability to produce vitamin D
from the sun.
Vitamin D benefits bone health, prevents rickets and may protect against
respiratory illnesses, childhood wheezing and winter-related eczema.
“We need to perform randomized controlled trials to understand if vitamin D
actually improves these wide-range health outcomes,” Dr. Mansbach was quoted
as saying.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, November 2009
