Kids Deficient in Vitamin D Poses Serious Health Threat

Nearly one  in 10 kids are deficient in vitamin D which poses a serious health threat to these children. Having too low vitamin D levels puts them at risk of heart disease, weak bones and rickets. This study reflects 7.6 million American children who are actually deficient in vitamin D.

The new findings come from a study conducted by Juhi Kumar, MD, MPH, of Montefiore Medical Center, Michal Melamed, MD of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and colleagues.

In a press release Kumar said, “We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking.”

Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” since our bodies produce it naturally when exposed to the sun. Certain foods, such as fish and milk, are also good sources.

Kids who were at a particularly high risk of low vitamin D levels included older children, obese children, kids who drank milk less than once a week and kids who spent more than four hours a day watching TV, playing video games or using computers.

“It would be a good idea for parents to turn off the TV and send kids outside,” advised Kumar, “Just 15 to 20 minutes a day should be enough. And, unless they burn easily, don’t put sunscreen on them until they’ve been out in the sun for 10 minutes so they get the good stuff  but not the sun damage.

When kids are deficient in vitamin D, their bodies begin to reabsorb calcium from the skeleton.  The Kumar study found that children who took vitamin D supplements were least likely to have low vitamin D levels but only 4 percent of kids get these supplements