My usual readers will know of my interest in Vitamin D and how often I will try to optimize Vitamin D in adults for health improvement. Now comes this report of widespread low levels of Vitamin D in children.
The study found 1 in 5 children aged 1 to 11 were deficient and by a "looser" measure up to 90% of Black children and 80% of Hispanic children could be vitamin D deficient.
This report should be a wakeup call to parents to have vitamin D levels checked in children, especially in children with frequent infections or obesity.
I have recently written about the anecdotal reports of Vitamin D reducing the risk on catching H1N1 infection. If this is true and I think it is, perhaps the fast spread of H1N1 in schools could be partly due to deficient levels of D.
Here is a second site with more detail on the study findings on Vitamin D deficiency - the study leader is recommending children have levels of 75 ng/ml. By this measure 66% of children are deficient including 59% of white children. The lead investigator is a pediatrician at Children's Hospital in Boston.
The study found 1 in 5 children aged 1 to 11 were deficient and by a "looser" measure up to 90% of Black children and 80% of Hispanic children could be vitamin D deficient.
This report should be a wakeup call to parents to have vitamin D levels checked in children, especially in children with frequent infections or obesity.
I have recently written about the anecdotal reports of Vitamin D reducing the risk on catching H1N1 infection. If this is true and I think it is, perhaps the fast spread of H1N1 in schools could be partly due to deficient levels of D.
Here is a second site with more detail on the study findings on Vitamin D deficiency - the study leader is recommending children have levels of 75 ng/ml. By this measure 66% of children are deficient including 59% of white children. The lead investigator is a pediatrician at Children's Hospital in Boston.
Vitamin D deficiency has been connected to higher rates of diabetes, infections, high blood pressure and cancer. I find the same deficiency in the vast majority of adults that I test for Vitamin D. Optimal levels of Vitamin D in adults should be at least 55 ng/ml.The average recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D will not produce optimal levels in most people in my experience, not even close.
drBob
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