Widespread Vitamin D Deficiency Among US Infants: Study

Nearly 12 percent of American infants and toddlers are tested deficient and at least 40 percent aren't getting enough of what is known as the most abundantly available Vitamin – the Vitamin D or the Sunshine Vitamin, reports of a study conducted at the Children's Hospital in Boston unfolds.

Another 28 percent of the youngest American children are already at risk for vitamin D deficiency, results of the study which appear in the June issue of the journal, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reports.

Characterized as the "sunshine vitamin" because of its unique quality of being produced by the body by just basking in the warm sun, vitamin D plays a vital role in strengthening bone and fabricating healthy teeth.

Besides its basic function of boosting the body’s calcium absorption, vitamin D also appears to play a significant role in upholding the immune systemdefine. Vitamin D deficiency often showed up later as brittle bones and an undermined immune system making people more susceptible to autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetesdefine, multiple sclerosis and to certain types of cancers, researchers noted.

The study involved 380 toddlers between the age of 8 and 24 months.

Nearly 40 percent of the participants reportedly had below-optimal levels of the vitamin. While 12 percent were already deficient in vitamin D, another 28 percent were at a high risk of developing vitamin D deficiency, statistics revealed.

Interestingly, study’s lead author Dr. Catherine Gordon, director of the bone health program at Children's Hospital in Boston found that breast milk the "perfect nutrition" for the infant is itself low in vitamin D. So, breast-feeding without adequate vitamin D supplements was the key to developing vitamin D deficiency in toddlers.

"Consumption of vitamin D-fortified milk confers protection against deficiency," Gordon believes.

Apart from diet and supplements, the sun is the best source of vitamin D. Ultraviolet rays trigger the vitamin production under the skin upon contact with the skin. Liberal sunscreen application and additional clothing to protect from the harmful UV rays leaves no room for sun exposure. This is also a leading cause of low levels of vitamin D, researchers note.

"Making sure at least a small part of the body, such as the hands or legs, are exposed to sunlight for about 30 minutes a day,"– can be a good measure to make up for the low levels, Gordon marks.