A new Canadian study finds that as many as 80 per cent of toddlers in this country may not have enough vitamin D, and nearly a third had such low levels, they would be considered deficient.
The study is the first in Canada to look at vitamin D levels in toddlers and the results surprised ever the researchers. A previous study on vitamin D levels in toddlers in Boston found that only 14 per cent of that population was lacking vitamin D.
The findings are important, says the study's lead author, Dr. Jonathon Maguire, because toddlers with vitamin D deficiencies may be at a higher risk for rickets (a disease that causes severe bone deformities), Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and even some forms of cancer.
"It is concerning that two-year-old urban Canadian children may be at particular risk of vitamin D levels below the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society," said Maguire, an academic fellow in the SickKids division of Paediatric Medicine.
The research is being presented at the annual meeting of Pediatric Academic Societies in Baltimore.
For the study, the researchers evaluated 92 healthy kids between the ages of two and two and half year old who visited a paediatric practice in Toronto between November 2007 and June 2008. The scientists measured the children's vitamin D levels through blood tests and questionnaires.
They found that the kids who were more likely to have lower vitamin D levels were also more likely to:
- drink less milk
- have a high BMI (body mass index)
- watch TV while snacking
The findings suggest that shortfalls in vitamin D may be widespread in young children across the country.
The results are troubling considering that babies generally have good levels of vitamin D. Infant formula is fortified with the nutrient and mothers who breastfeed are strongly advised to give their children supplements of 400 International Units of vitamin D a day until they are on a diet that includes plenty of servings of dairy. Babies who have dark skin should get 800 IU per day between October and April, when there is less sunlight, advises the Canadian Paediatric Society.
"Efforts to understand the implications of these findings, identify children at the highest risk and develop interventions to improve the Vitamin D status of young children in Canada are urgently needed," says Maguire.
In the meantime, Maguire recommends that parents ask their child's physician for advice on the use of vitamin D supplements and other preventative strategies.
Babies in northern communities (north of 55� latitude -- about the level of Edmonton) or who have other risk factors, such as dark skin, should get 800 IU per day between October and April, when there is less sunlight.
Babies in northern communities (north of 55� latitude -- about the level of Edmonton) or who have other risk factors, such as dark skin, should get 800 IU per day between October and April, when there is less sunlight.
Babies in northern communities (north of 55� latitude -- about the level of Edmonton) or who have other risk factors, such as dark skin, should get 800 IU per day between October and April, when there is less sunlight.
Babies in northern communities (north of 55� latitude -- about the level of Edmonton) or who have other risk factors, such as dark skin, should get 800 IU per day between October and April, when there is less sunlight.
