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Vitamin D Deficiency Twice as Likely in Obese Children

Obese child

Following up on her recent study in the journal Pediatrics on vitamin D deficiency and obesity, Dr. Christy Turer of Texas Southwestern Medical Center told UPI that nearly half of U.S. children who are obese have vitamin D deficiencies, and that the risk is even higher for severely obese and minority children. Ninety percent of severely obese African-American children do not have sufficient levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is essential to health. Children need it to make bones strong and to prevent a condition known as rickets. The deficiency has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, tooth and gum disease, as well as weakened immune systems.

Said Turer, "While we don't know for sure what causes the deficiency, there are things parents can do to reduce their child's risk." She recommended limiting electronics to less than two hours a day, increasing physical activity, and getting children to drink 16 to 24 ounces of low-fat, vitamin D-fortified milk per day.

The recommended daily dose of vitamin D is 600 IUs, for healthy children, but obese children may need more. According to a recent study, those who are considered obese process the vitamin at half the rate that normal-weight children do. The vitamin gets stored in their fat tissues, which keeps it from being processed. As a result, it's been suggested that obese children may need to take in about twice as much vitamin D as normal kids.

It can be challenging to get all that vitamin D from foods alone, but certain foods are especially rich in vitamin D and include:

-Fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and oysters.

-Vitamin D-enriched cereal.

-Some eggs (but the hens must have been given vitamin D).

-Vitamin D-fortified milk or juice.

-Margarine and butter.

-Dairy foods including cream and cheese.

Supplements can help, too. Dr. Turer suggested parents talk to their pediatricians to determine dosages.

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Carolyn Buchanan
