Studies: Millions of U.S. kids lacking Vitamin D

[RamboLiberal]

Source: MSNBC/Washington Post

Millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low Vitamin D levels, possibly increasing their risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, according to two new studies that provide the first national assessment of the crucial nutrient in young Americans.

About 9 percent of those ages 1 through 21 — about 7.6 million children, adolescents and young adults — have Vitamin D levels so low they could be considered deficient, while an additional 61 percent — 50.8 million — have higher levels, but still low enough to be insufficient, according to the analysis of federal data being released Monday.

"It's astounding," said Michal L. Melamed of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who helped conduct one of the studies published online by the journal Pediatrics. "At first, we couldn't believe the numbers. I think it's very worrisome."

Low Vitamin D levels are especially common among girls, adolescents and people with darker skin, according to the analysis of a nationally representative sample of more than 6,000 children. For example, 59 percent of African American teenage girls were Vitamin D deficient, Melamed's study found.

The researchers and others blamed the low levels on a combination of factors, including children spending more time watching television and playing video games instead of going outside, covering up and using sunscreen when they do go outdoors, and drinking more soda and other beverages instead of consuming milk and other foods fortified with Vitamin D.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32265598/ns/health-more_health_news/

[glowing]

1. Some good ole's shunshine more often would help a lot.

[hedgehog]

2. I wonder about that. Here's what I do know: changes in the upper atmosphere

ozone level mean that more ultraviolet rays reach ground level. There is a measurable change in carbon dioxide levels sufficient to keep infra red rays from exiting through the atmosphere. I don't know which part of the spectrum generates Vitamin D, but is it possible that some of those rays are now filtered out and/or by the time you get enough of them to generate Vitamin D, you'll also get a good dose of damaging UV?

[glowing]

5. No one said it has to be full blast in the middle of the day.

Depending on melonama, it would only take 1/2 hr to 2 hrs in the sun to get the Vit D. There was a study I read about that had a correlation of women/ cancer/ and geography. The women who live north where some of the year is cold and snowy, were more likely to have cancer than those in the southern states. The article explained it didn't have to be a full onset blast. a light long sleved shirt and a hat would still allow a person to pick up vit-D... But think about most of our days. Kids sit inside at school, women sit inside in the office.

[WriteDown]

12. More likely...

Crab people are to blame.

I broke the dam.

[Rebubula]

14. No...

....I broke the dam.

[WriteDown]

15. I was really hoping someone would get that.

My hat tips to you Rebubula.

[hedgehog]

3. Spread the word about this connection: Vitamin D and flu:

In a study that will be published tomorrow, people with low levels of vitamin D — also known as the "sunshine vitamin" — were more likely to catch cold and flu than folks with adequate amounts. The effect of the vitamin was strongest in people with asthma and other lung diseases who are predisposed to respiratory infections.

People with the worst vitamin D deficiency were 36 percent more likely to suffer respiratory infections than those with sufficient levels, according to the research in this week's Archives of Internal Medicine. Among asthmatics, those who were vitamin D deficient were five times more likely to get sick than their counterparts with healthy levels. And the risk of respiratory infection was twice as high among vitamin D-deficient patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than in lung patients with normal levels of the vitamin.

All this means that healthy adults, who typically get two colds a year, might suffer an extra one if they're vitamin D deficient. For people with asthma or COPD, who get around four or five colds annually, lack of vitamin D might tack on additional infections, but exactly how many isn’t known, co-author Adit Ginde tells ScientificAmerican.com.




http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=vitamin-d-deficiency-linked-to-more-2009-02-23

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. And a mineral combination known as NAC is reported to be effective flu fighter.

I take Vit. d. and have NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine), which is a prescribed "drug" ( really an amino acid) but can be bought at reputable health food/herb stores.

An animal study indicates that acetylcysteine may decrease mortality associated with influenza <23>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetylcysteine

there are contra-indications to its use.

[FirstLight]

4. My grandmother would know this!

Kids indoors playing videos and sitting in front of computers = no sunshine or muscle tone!

hell, I rode my bike or skated till the sun went DOWN when I was a kid...stting in front of the tv was a last resort when noone else was around to hang with...

sheesh! kids today!
I have been fighting with my 7 year ld daughter about truning OFF the freaking TV and going to do SOMETHING BELSE...and she is a certified organic couch potato! And we live in the mountains! they are supposed to be climbing trees and stuff!

okay, why don't I lead by example and get off my butt and go to the beach with them today!?!

[RamboLiberal]

7. If there had been video games in my time

I'd have probably been a couch potato too. And add in the phones & texting these days.

If the weather was nice I was outside like you riding my bike, playing street ball or some other kids game cause there was nothing to do indoors except read or play a board game.

When it was time for supper(that was the term in my neighborhood) or to come in every kid's parent would go out on the front stoop and yell the kid's name or send one of the other kids off to find you.

But now you have parents who are afraid to let the kids out of their sight and if a kid is in to an sport or activity it is a paid for or organized sport or activity by adults.

I think kids not only are lacking Vitamin D but also lacking the building blocks that build independent thinkers who can resolve their own group problems and rules.

I do wish we could go back to a revisionist movement of simpler times.

[madrchsod]

10. i do`t see kids playing sports in the neighborhood parks

our crew lived at the parks,back yards,and the swimming pool in the summer. we were gone from 9 in the morning till ten or 11 at night. no one plays "hide and seek"...today the neighors would call the cops on us and we`d be arrested!

[katkat]

9. who's in charge here?

Who's the parent? Throw out the f-ing tv.

[WriteDown]

13. There is a simple solution to that....

Just unplug the TV and order them outside. :)

[FirstLight]

18. It ISN'T as simple as simply unplugging TV, really

Those who brought up the safety factor and the neighbors freaking out are right.

Back in the day our neghborhoods were more like communities, the grownups may hang out together in the yard and the kids were all over the place... now people are all afriad and suspicious and the neighbor doesn't want my kids near her yard because of "liability" issues , and there are certain "undesirables" who either live or party in the rental across the street or they walk through our neighbohood on the way to the liquor store...they could just drag my girl into the bushes...

so ya, turn off the TV... and also take the time to watch where they are, or keep them in the backyard where it's safe...

[dixiegrrrrl]

27. Wonderfully, kids are outside a lot where I live. Even in this heat.

We still have the small town values here. In fact, when a family with 4 young kids moved in,
the 70 + year old neighbors were thrilled. They knew they could count on the parents to teach the kids manners, and if necessary would step in to do so. It would be a serious offense to sue a neighbor here.
But then, you would not have to. The offending person would knock on your door and insist on paying for the damage.
School starts mid-month here, btw. But kids are outside playing after school and on weekends.

[juno jones]

22. Go to the Beach.

When we lived in your area, we would always go to the beach furthest down where dogs were allowed. My kid would stay in all afternoon but it was too cold for the adults pretty quickly :D. August is really the only time up there when it gets hot enough to want to do things like that.

On edit: I miss that here. Not a lot of beach here (ay least that I would swim in). Maybe a trip up mountain to a river is in order....

[ananda]

6. Kids don't play outside any more, I guess.

nt

[Hestia]

8. There are several reasons for the lack of Vitamin D, one is not enough fat in the child's diet

and vitamin D is a Fat Soluable Vitamin. You HAVE to have fat to absorb it. Fasinating article from
alternet - http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141545/how_eating_steak%2C_cake_and_butter_can_make_you_live_longer/ which states that children aren't getting enough fat to absorb vitamins. Vitamins E & A are fat soluable too. Two, of course being Sunshine. Kids have to play outside to get sunlight sans sunscreen, not to mention activities that will give them exercise and they sleep better at night.

All low-fat food has done is to enrich a food industry loading us up with HFCS and aspartame, which cause obesity, not fats. We need to pull out the old cookbooks pre-1979 and cook with those recipes. Moderation in fats and sugars help to lose weight, not cutting back on fats.

The physican here where I work suggests a minimum of 2000 mg per day! We simply do not get enough D3, not to mention other D vitamins.

[CountAllVotes]

11. recently ...

I was tested for vitamin D deficiency. I came up with a score of 11 and it should be between 32-100 I was told.

I've been taking 100,000 units a week for the past couple of months.

I'm not sure if it is doing any good or not.

I believe there are many reasons for this deficiency, probably #1 in kids is not being outside much.

No more P.E. in the schools doesn't help either. You'd be outside 1 hr. a day usually when they had this where I went to school (at least as that doesn't include breaks).

Also the diet is so messed up these days with all of the trans fats, HFCS, etc. as you mention.

Also, the UV rays and ozone layer issues (which are very real) only add to the problem as many are afraid to be outside in the sunlight a lot due to cancer risks.

Overall, the problem is a nightmare. I think every kid should be tested for this deficiency.

My father had a sister that died age the age of 2 years old from rickets, which is vitamin D deficiency.

Very complicated issue this one is. More research is desperately needed!

:kick:

[hedgehog]

23. Bring back the 1975 Joy of Cooking! The 1997 version tried to

cut all the fat and just wasn't as good!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

16. Sunscreen is the culpit

[onehandle]

17. And adults. Vitamin D has been linked to longer life. My doctor told me to take a supplement.

He tested me and I was lacking in D in my system.

[Mz Pip]

30. Me, too

Mine was really low. Now I take the supplements. I do think it has made a difference in how I've been feeling, too.

[MissMillie]

19. My doc was telling me this earlier this spring

She told me 20 minutes a day, in the sun, with no sleeves.

I've been trying to listen, and I take Vit D supplements twice a day.


My levels were less than 1/2 of what the minimum of the acceptable range.

[Abq_Sarah]

28. That's a good recommendation

But as we age, we lose some of our ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight.

I live at a fairly high altitude in the Southwest and I tested Vit D deficient. I supplement 3k units in the summer and 6K in the winter to keep my levels up.

Sufficient vitamin D levels are critical for elderly patients as it relates to bone loss and fractures, yet medicare released a draft policy this spring announcing they will no longer pay for Vitamin D testing.

[Bearware]

20. This is a medical establishment caused epidempic

The medical establishment particularly in the U.S. but also in other countries has directly caused an epidemic of autoimmune disease and myriad other problems in people of all ages and sexes by keeping the Required Daily Intake (RDI) too low in the face of massive amounts of research indicating it should be AT LEAST 5-10 times higher. Lifestyle changes to more time indoors have mad things worse and Dermatologists have made the problem far worse by encouraging people to use sunscreen and clothing to avoid virtually all sun on their skin.

A fair person with arms and legs exposed to summer sun during the middle of the day can produce about 10,000 IU (International Units) of vitamin D3 in 10-15 minutes. This is 25 times the RDI of 400 IU. After the 15 minutes or so vitamin D3 in the skin degrades as fast as it is produced. If a person has very dark skin they may need to spend up to 5 times a long in the sun or expose more skin.

Doctors learned you could prevent rickets with about 200 IU of vitamin D2 (from yeast). Most doctors practice what they learned in medical school so we have 70+ years of "rickets is the only problem and a glass of milk will fix it". Excluding cod liver oil or equivalent supplements, there is no way to get enough vitamin D from a normal diet. You need ultraviolet light on your skin. This is how we evolved.

Everyone should be getting at least 2000 IU a day (the DRI tolerable upper dose). Look for the DRI tolerable upper dose for D3 to go up by 5 times sometime in the next decade or two. There have been people taking a million IU per day for extended periods before they actually had overdose symptoms. D2 may be another matter.

Links:

http://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=15773
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTtmvMvgfl0&feature=channel
http://www.grassrootshealth.net/

[JayMusgrove]

21. How about a proper diet? Little Coke or soft drinks, and milk

with every well balanced meal.

Ice cream, cheese and many meats, fish, poultry and (a few) vegetables contain Vitamin D, too.

A single multivitamin will also make up for any unbalanced meals .

[hedgehog]

24. The problem with multivitamins is that they only replace the

nutrients we know about. For example, what about omega 3 oils?

[JayMusgrove]

29. ALL Oils can be taken in from a proper diet, no pills needed.

The study didn't say kids lack Omega 3 oils, did it?

[hedgehog]

31. I was using omega 3 oils as an example of a nutrient not found

in most multi vitamins because the need for these oils was not recognized. The point is we need to get nutrients from diet, not pills.

[RedCloud]

26. You get Vitamin D from proper exposure to sunlight! You can do it!

Hopefully you read "You can do it" as Tony Little would say it.

This is not his site here:

http://www.wordpress.rudramani.com/2009/07/16/body-makes-vitamin-d-naturally-from-exposure-to-sunlight-older-people-are-deficient-in-vitamin-d/

[applegrove]

32. They think vitamin D also fights off swine flu. We should all be having a supplement of

1000 a day.

[MADem]

33. What's needed is a little more "Go outside and play." Really. It's simple. NT