Posted on 07/21/2009 8:48:44 AM PDT by neverdem
BOSTON — The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency found in a cohort of healthy children in a sunny Southwestern climate has prompted a call by the study's investigators for generalized routine screening of vitamin D levels among all children.
In a study designed to assess vitamin D levels in children living in a region with year-round sunshine and to compare vitamin D levels in children with vague musculoskeletal pain with those of children without pain, Dr. Elizabeth A. Szalay and her colleagues at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque retrospectively studied the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels of 77 healthy children who were seen for musculoskeletal pain but who lacked a concrete diagnosis to explain their pain (pain group). They also prospectively obtained serum 25(OH)D levels from 35 healthy children without pain.
The study included healthy children aged 2-16 years old who were freely ambulatory and could play outside as they chose. It excluded children with any endocrinopathy and those taking medications that affect vitamin D metabolism, Dr. Szalay said at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.
The study population (mean age, 9 years) included 66 girls and 46 boys, and was primarily Hispanic (59) and white (37). The average 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels for the pain and control groups were not statistically different, at 28 ng/mL and 31 ng/mL.
The mean 25(OH)D level was 29 ng/mL. “While there is no consensus on optimal serum vitamin D levels in children, optimal calcium absorption is seen between 40 and 100 ng/mL,” she said. “Vitamin D deficiency is defined by most experts as a [25-hydroxyvitamin D] level less than 20 ng/mL.”
Collectively, only 13% of the children had vitamin D levels in the optimal range, while 33% had levels from 30 to 39 ng/mL, 35% had levels from 20 to 29 ng/mL, 16% had levels from 10 to 19 ng/mL, and 3% had levels less than 10 ng/mL—the level at which rachitic changes may occur.
The findings seem to suggest that modern lifestyles, even among children living in sun-rich regions, may be taking an ever greater toll on pediatric vitamin D levels and indirectly on pediatric bone health, said Dr. Szalay.
“Concern over hypovitaminosis D in children is warranted and routine screening should, at the very least, be considered,” said Dr. Szalay, who reported having no conflicts of interest.
It’s hard to get sun when you are sitting in front of a video game.
Plus the parents are covering up every square inch of exposed skin with sunscreen and/or sunproof shirts.
Hmmmm.....my doc wants MY Vit D level up around 60...it's now around 38....and I take loads of Vitamin D3 every day. (4400iu) And, I'm outside at least an hour a day.....
My friend’s doctor told her that Arizona has one of the highest rates of Vitamin D deficiency.
YEP....I saw a comment somewhere that the correlation between sunscreen use and skin cancer sure is high....I don’t use sunscreen, unless I’m really at a high elevation on a sunny day....people are too afraid of the sun.
My family has been on Vit D supplements after reading about how it may bolster protection against flu virus infection
Cheap insurance
This is so true.
Amen. And when they are outside they are slathered with sunblock. In addition, there are not really good food sources for D and only about 100 iu are in one glass of milk (I think that’s the number, it’s something like that). So, anyone not getting a good dose of sunlight several times per week is likely not getting enough D. I had mine tested because of neuropathy and I was very low. I have been taking 1000 per day and have seen some improvement in joint pain.
Wonder if you have something else going on?
Don’t know about “something else” but, I have NO pain....and no colds/flu....and I’m 58. My doc is on leading edge....preventative....so....him wanting a high level of Vit D would fit with his practices.
Maybe so. I had lots of symptoms, and I don’t think D is the whole story, but it seems to have helped some.
ping
Hmm... I just got all this blood work done because I wasn’t feelig right - My vitamin D levels are at 20 and very low - I’m now on a front load of 50,000 mg (not a typo) of Vitamin D - take one pill a week for 6 weeks and will get retested...
I guess I’m a vampire? For the first time my doctor said GET SOME SUN - never had a problem before - play soccer outside and everything I’m about 28 yrs. old
Last fall I was at 9. 50,000 iu of D2 once a week for 8 weeks, then to every other week, plus 2-3,000 iu of D3 daily. In May I was up to 39.
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Was there a reason why? Glad to hear it’s gone up significantly BTW!
Bone problems and arthritis run in my family - not sure if that makes me a little more vulnerable than most...
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Again, it seems to do things in moderation and to avoid the extremes like no sun, no milk, sunblock on in the morning even before one goes outside.
It isn’t just kids and women, who suffer from calcium deficiencies. Men have problems too.
As to if there was a reason why, nothing definitive.
It turned out I was also B-12 deficient, so am currently getting shots once a month for that.
Have a new doctor, though, and went for the B-12 shot y-day. The nurse asked if I noticed a difference toward the end of the four weeks after the shot. I said I wasn’t sure I noticed any difference right after the shot... And that it made me wonder if the dosage was enough, or if I needed it more often. She said that the doctor usually only give patients a tenth of what I was getting, but he hadn’t changed the dosage yet.
:-(
Interestingly, when I saw the new doctor last month he was surprised that the D level was only at 39 considering the “boatload” of Vit D I was taking. [Gosh, such fancy medical terminology they use these days! ;-) ]
I’d much prefer if it was toward the high end...
There seems to be a new medical craze fixating on Vit D. Last year my internist did a routine check of vit D levels, said mine was low [it was winter at the time] and had me on some mega-prescription dose for 3-4 months. I asked my best friend who is an ob/gyn and she said it’s a new thing they are testing for and that if she were to test her patients probably 90% of them would show up with low Vit D levels. She also said that SUNSHINE is the best source, rather than food or supps. The supplements were cheap and painless to take once per week, and now she just has me on caltrate with D.
yes, i am sure it’s just your doc being cutting edge, like mine. i call her anal-retentive/overzealous, but i think those are generally good traits in a doc ; )
Well duh - how many of her patients are getting sunshine 'down there'??????
Thanks for posting this.
there is something wrong with you. and i mean that in the nicest possible way... /; )
Thanks for the link.
If you knew who my doc is...you’d know he IS cutting edge.....Suzann Somers has now made him her doctor....I’d trust him with my life....in fact I do. As far as “anal retentive/overzealous”....uh...I wouldn’t call him that.
One doesn’t need to minister to the stars to be a cutting edge or competent physician. Glad he’s doing well by you.
HA...I had him LONG before Ms. Somers......but, he is the one who invented compounded bio-id therapies 30 yrs ago....and teaches MD’s and Naturapaths, so, that’s why I sing his praises. I saw a LOT of docs before my problems were solved....including untrained (not incompetent) ones.
Too many variables to count. Maybe this will help inform.
Thanks for the link.
They all live in air conditioning. It’s only the tourists that walk around.
Gotta try extra hard to eat a variety of different foods.
I know the RDA for D is 400 iu, but there are those who believe that is very low. I’m not an expert, I can only say mine was really low. In nature we would make most of our D from sun exposure, we wouldn’t have fortified foods.
I'm sorry, but due to HIPPA regulations, the doctor will be unable to provide Hege with any phone numbers.
Cheers!
i do understand he is a little ray of sunshine ; )
Sunscreen and videogames.
Ditto the 4400. So a few weeks ago my Graves/Hyperthyroid flares up, and the doc says, "Let's check your vitamin D levels."
I said, "Nah, I'm fine. I take 4400 units a day PLUS I go to a tanning bed. Look at my legs!"
"Yeah, you're right, you're probably fine," she said.
They wanted bloodwork anyway and the doc either changed her mind or didn't uncheck the box, because when the nurse called back with the thyroid labs she said, "Oh, and your D levels will take another week, they have to send that out."
'kay. Waste of time.
The following week nurse called again re referral forms, and then said, "Oh, and the doctor wants you to start on a Vitamin D supplement."
WHAT? MUST be some mistake!
"You came in at 14, 'normal' is 18-72."
Proverbial "jaw dropping to floor" moment:
"HOW........IS.......THAT.......POSSIBLE?" I asked. I TAKE 4400 UNITS/DAY PLUS I GO TO A TANNING BED!"
She only said my body must be "spending it somewhere."
So I doubled it, and now I'm a bit better. Joints are better also.
Timing is everything.
BUMP!
I didn’t think tanning beds helped.
Depends on the bed. Vitamin D is made from UVB but not UVA. As long as the lamps have adequate UVB you get a nice blast of D.
WOW....I’m due to have mine checked again....since I’ve been taking all this D3 it will be interesting to see if it’s up from the 38 of last year....
I used to take 400 IU's a day until about 6 months ago and then I began taking 2000 a day as most of the literature I was reading said 400 was too low.
I can't say that I feel any better but I haven't been sick. Also, I view myself as building up my 'system' for any sort of flu virus this fall/winter. Afterall, we are in a pandemic presently!!
Thanks Civ, for this very important information. With every new study, the need for Vitamin D supplements is confirmed
She also works out about 4 or 5 times a week and we get as much sunshine as we can stand here in Texas.
I wonder if I should double the amount I’m taking. I’m only taking 1000 per day, last time I was checked my level was up but still somewhat low. Hmmm...
Interestingly, all of my bone density tests have come out excellent. That may be attributable to much weight bearing exercise in my younger years.
Probably wouldn't hurt anything.
Yeah, I think they have changed their thinking about overdosing on D. I think I’ll jump it up.
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