Are we all Vitamin D deficient?
An Associated Press story today covered a new recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics for daily vitamin D doses for children. The group advises doubling the previous recommendation of 200 units daily to 400. The previous recommendation was set because that is the minimum amount of vitamin D needed to prevent rickets in children, which used to be a very common deformity caused by malnutrition. However, not much was known about other chemical mechanisms vitamin D participates in in the body. Recent research has shown that a deficiency in the vitamin may be linked to heart disease, some types of cancer, depression and a host of other maladies. I am especially interested in vitamin D because, as Minnesotans, it is possible that we are deficient for a significant portion of the year, when we don't get outside in the sun. However, I also guard against vitamin D as a panacea, as some professionals do. However, the prospect of a relatively simple supplement could affect something as intricate and debilitating as cancer or heart disease or depression is intriguing.
Comments
I've been hearing a lot about this lately, but I wish I would see a little bit more discussion about the quality/efficiency of Vitamin D supplements as opposed to the Vitamin D that occurs naturally in food or that occurs in fortified milk, yogurt, cereal, etc. I wonder if it's an issue of people needing supplements, or if it speaks more to the need for healthier eating habits.
Posted by: Nancy Meissner | October 13, 2008 10:55 AM
Vitamin D deficiency is said to be more common above the 45th parallel. That 45th parallel is Roselawn Ave. in Maplewood, MN...
Posted by: Bill | October 14, 2008 4:54 PM
I found this article interesting. Increasing the amount of vitamin D in children is a good idea. However, if the dosage goes from 200 units to 400 units a day, that is a huge increase. It will be particularly hard to implement such a large amount into children daily. Milk is a great source of vitamin D but a child would need to drink as many as 4-5 cups a day, which is uncommon.
I question what other types of food contain high amounts of vitamin D and if increasing that intake would help. Taking a supplement could become expense and might take a while to initiate into a child's everyday routine.
Posted by: Sara Wedding | October 14, 2008 5:38 PM