The leading children's medical organization in the United States last Monday announced that it has doubled the amount of vitamin D recommended for infants, children and adolescents. But we all need to know that EVERYONE needs more Vitamin D. My next couple of posts will address this issue and help give you the resources to get the Vitamin D that you need.
The increase, from 200 international units (IU) to 400 IU per day, starting in the first few days of life, was detailed in a news conference at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in Boston. Four hundred IU a day is the amount that is in a teaspoon of cod liver oil, which we have used for 75 years to prevent and treat rickets in children.
Why do we need more Vitamin D?
Certain risks associated with vitamin D deficiency have been known for decades: rickets (weakening of the bones), which is still widespread in infants, children, adolescents and adults; growth failure; lethargy; irritability; respiratory infections during infancy; and osteoporosis later in life. More recently, however, associations have been made between vitamin D deficiency and type 2 diabetes, some cancers, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Among rheumatologists who treat patients with autoimmune diseases, there has been an increasing recognition that insufficiency in vitamin D may contribute to a variety of autoimmune diseases.
Vitamin D acts directly on cells to promote gene transcription. No other 'vitamin' does this, so it really is very, very powerful. Vitamin D deficiency is common among all age groups across the globe. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight but experts now urge everyone to stay out of the sun or, at the very least, to wear sunscreen and protective clothing while outside. And honestly, it would take a good amount of skin exposure to the sun for at least 20 minutes per day to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D. So what do we do to increase the amount we are getting? Vitamin D is not plentiful in most foods, with the exception of fatty fish, certain fish oils, liver and egg yolks of chickens fed vitamin D.
So what to give the family to meet the perfect amount of Vitamin D? Cod liver oil. Stay tuned for information on Cod liver oil and all of it's marvelous benefits!
Certain risks associated with vitamin D deficiency have been known for decades: rickets (weakening of the bones), which is still widespread in infants, children, adolescents and adults; growth failure; lethargy; irritability; respiratory infections during infancy; and osteoporosis later in life. More recently, however, associations have been made between vitamin D deficiency and type 2 diabetes, some cancers, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Among rheumatologists who treat patients with autoimmune diseases, there has been an increasing recognition that insufficiency in vitamin D may contribute to a variety of autoimmune diseases.
Vitamin D acts directly on cells to promote gene transcription. No other 'vitamin' does this, so it really is very, very powerful. Vitamin D deficiency is common among all age groups across the globe. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight but experts now urge everyone to stay out of the sun or, at the very least, to wear sunscreen and protective clothing while outside. And honestly, it would take a good amount of skin exposure to the sun for at least 20 minutes per day to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D. So what do we do to increase the amount we are getting? Vitamin D is not plentiful in most foods, with the exception of fatty fish, certain fish oils, liver and egg yolks of chickens fed vitamin D.
So what to give the family to meet the perfect amount of Vitamin D? Cod liver oil. Stay tuned for information on Cod liver oil and all of it's marvelous benefits!
Be well,
Dr. M
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