8-18-09

Low Vitamin D in Children

Many children in the U.S. aren’t getting enough Vitamin D, which could lead to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure in later years.

Two recent studies show that most American children and adolescents are getting too little Vitamin D.  Dr. Craig Batterman, assistant professor of pediatrics at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, says low Vitamin D intake can cause health concerns.

SOUND BITE: “ . . . in younger kids, especially in newborns and children in the first six months of life or six to 12 months of life, Rickets is one of the major concerns and that is one reason we supplement Vitamin D in that age group, either through a vitamin or through formula intake.  From age 2 to 9, we talk about milk intake, etc., but we don’t necessarily actively supplementing Vitamin D.  

Dr. Batterman says in the adolescent age group, physicians are seeing more patients with low calcium levels, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and obesity associated with low Vitamin D levels.  It is especially prevalent in those who do not drink milk and who are sedentary – spending more time watching TV and playing computer games.  He suggests some ways to increase Vitamin D.

SOUND BITE: “. . . It’s been shown that 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure in the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. time zone can actually synthesize 25 percent of your Vitamin D needs for the day.  The other thing would be then to supplement it with Vitamin D containing vitamins or formula in the younger age group or in the older age group Vitamin D milk would be the major source . . .”

Dr. Batterman also suggests getting plenty of exercise and eating foods such as milk, fish, egg yolks, fortified cereals and breads to increase Vitamin D levels in children.  Regular check ups for children should include a look at possible signals of low Vitamin D such as bowing of the legs.

This is from Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.