gethealthy

Recent news from The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children age newborn to teenagers should actually be getting double the amount of vitamin D that is recommended for preventing disease.

To meet these new guidelines of 400 units per day, children will need to take supplements of vitamin D.  This requirement also includes infants who are breastfed or drinking particular types of formula and teens who drink little to no milk.

Eventhough breast milk is recommended for the first year, it can be lacking in vitamin D, which would warrant supplementation.  Many formulas already contain the new recommended dosage of vitamin D, and would require no additional supplementation

Many teens and children still consume some milk and even though it is fortified with vitamin D, they do not drink enough of it to attain the 400 units per day.  To reach those limits they would need to consume at least 4 cups of milk per day.

The cause for these new recommendations is due to a studies that were conducted that concluded that most children are lacking in vitamin D.  Also, there have been recent cases of rickets, which is a bone disorder that causes warped bones is continuing to occur today.