Is Your Child Getting Enough Vitamin D To Prevent Illness?

A new study has reported that if your child has low levels of vitamin D, his or her wellbeing is more at risk to developing serious illnesses. According to researchers affiliated with the Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard medical School, and the University of South Carolina, who published their findings online in the journal Paediatrics, a lack of vitamin D harms family wellness in terms of child cardiovascular and immune function.

The team developed this study to not only examine the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children, but also the factors that lead to admission Vitamin D levels, which are 25-hydroxy Vitamin D or 25(OH)D. 511 severely or critically ill children, who were admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) from November 2009 through November 2010, made up the study group. Near their PICU admission, the children’s blood samples were collected and analysed for 25(OH)D concentration by using Diasorin radioimmunoassay.

The results were that 40.1% of the children were 25(OH)D deficient, or at a level less than 20 ng/mL, and the average 25(OH)D level was 22.5 ng/mL. 46.6% or 238 of the children who were admitted with a life-threatening infection did not have lower 25 (OH)D levels unless they had septic shock. The team also found that vitamin D wellness was dependant on the summer season, Vitamin D supplementation, and formula intake.

Overall, the study’s authors found a high rate of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children, which caused them to conclude, ‘Given the roles of Vitamin D in bone development and immunity, we recommend screening of those critically ill children with risk factors for Vitamin D deficiency and implementation of effective repletion strategies.’

These risk factors are an ethnic background of over 50% African, Indian, Southeast Asian, Hispanic, or Arabic, obesity, being breast-fed as an infant, frequent tiredness or aches and pains, living outside the 35th parallel north or south of the equator, spending time outdoors between 11am and 4pm less than three times a week, being over 50 years old, and applying SPF 8 or higher suntan lotion before you go outdoors.

You can ensure your child gets plenty of vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and vitamin supplements, though you should not exceed the upper limit of a daily Vitamin D dose of about 250 micrograms. You can also get vitamin D from foods such as pure cod liver oil, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, vitamin D fortified milk, margarine and cereals, eggs, beef liver and Swiss cheese.