Double Our Vitamin D with Supplements?
October 14th 2008 by Dr.MOZ in Family Health, Health News, Healthy Kids
A recent announcement by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children require twice the original recommendation of vitamin D, which would amount to “400 units” for those keeping score. Vitamin D is needed for strong bones and is believed to aid in preventing diseases. The group’s summary of recommendations:
- Breastfed and partially breastfed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life.
- All non-breastfed infants, as well as older children, who are consuming less than one quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk, should receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day.
- Adolescents who do not obtain 400 IU of vitamin D per day through foods should receive a supplement containing that amount.
- Children with increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications, may need higher doses of vitamin D.
The problem with this as I see it (a) they suggest that the entire nation consider supplements when these suggestions should only be made on an individual basis by a doctor based on actual Vitamin D levels, and (b) recommendations favor supplementing
babies born with low levels of vitamin D instead of addressing the source by ensuring that pregnant mothers have adequate levels of vitamin D to begin with. On that note, Vitamin D can be found in fortified milk, naturally in tuna and other oily fish, and through the absorption of sunlight. Of course, too much exposure to sunlight creates it’s own problems (and sunlight is difficult to sell)…so you won’t hear many recommendations like this from the academy.
Another “potential” problem with studies like this could be related to a serious conflict of interest suffered by those on the academy. The closing line of AP medical writer Lindsy Tanner’s story on the vitamin D issue which could be easily missed, “several members of an academy committee that helped write the guidelines have current or former ties to makers of infant formula or vitamin supplements.” Humm, it seems like this would be a far more interesting story doesn’t it?
Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ
October 14th, 2008 at 10:53 am
good info doc! never knew about it before.
October 14th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Excellent, i love my tuna and oily fish!
October 14th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
this is a great advice doc, my kid drinks her fortified milk every 3 times a day and me and my husband loves to eat tuna. our favorite snack is tuna burger. I am not so with oily fish though. i guess with the exposure to sunlight is good early in the morning until 7am.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:30 am
My wife makes great tuna fish cakes and they are quite cheap which is a bonus and the kids love them
October 15th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Topical vitamin d has been proven to absorb through the skin and you get many of the same benefits.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:40 am
The sun is the best source of Vitamin D.. and supplements can never overcome the sun
October 16th, 2008 at 8:58 am
I love tuna and I was not aware that it is rich in Vitamin D. I should teach my kid to eat this. Thanks for the info.
October 19th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Good health advice – I’ll forward this article on to my sister as were talking about vitamin nutrition for teenagers just the other day
October 20th, 2008 at 10:25 am
will put that to thought, my mom and a couple of aunts have osteoporosis, perhaps the american academy of pediatrics is correct…
October 26th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
just be careful what supplements you get. some of them aren’t always healthy for you.
October 28th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
In the final analysis, just being imformed can go a log way in helping to make the right decision. We just have to really make good choices in the end.
October 29th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Unfortunately for me I’m allergic to fish, and nuts and my son’s pediatrician recommended he stay away from them until he’s older. So I have to make due with sunlight and supplements for the both of us.
November 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
It’s hard to know what to believe nowadays because we get so many so-called medical experts giving advice, much of which completely conflicts with the advice that was offered previously by other ‘experts’.
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 am
I have also heard that consuming adequate amount of Vitamin D also prevents many types of cancer.. is that true.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I agree that the sun is the best source of vitamin D. Exposing to sunlight will give us the right amount of vitamin D we need. the old saying that the sun is deadly is wrong. The truth is, sunlight is good for us to fight lots of diseases.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Exposure to sunlight is the most important source of Vitamin D. According to studies, around 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure for at least two times a week is usually enough to provide us an adequate amount of Vitamin D.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:30 am
I really appreciate the information given in your article. vitamin D deficiency is a problem found in temperate countries but it is uncommon in countries of tropical region.When we are prescribing vitamin supplements, we should remember the vitamin toxicity as well because over enthusiastic patient might take over dose as well.But Vitamin D toxicity is rare as The safety margin for vitamin D is large, and vitamin D toxicity is usually observed only in patients taking doses 40,000 IU daily.