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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children have blood vitamin D levels of at least 50 nmol/L. But the most up-to-date analysis yet, led by Jonathan Mansbach, MD, of the Divisions of General Pediatrics and Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, indicates that millions of U.S. children—roughly one in five—are falling below the mark.
Analyzing data from roughly 5,000 children in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Mansbach and colleagues also found that 69 percent of children tested below 75 nmol/L, the level some studies suggest is needed to lower the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Notably, 80 percent of Hispanic children and 92 percent of non-Hispanic black children fell below this level.
Given the growing list of vitamin D’s possible benefits—such as stronger bones, reduced respiratory infections and improved eczema—Mansbach and colleagues suggest supplementation, especially for children with dark skin or living at Northern latitudes, whose skin may not make enough vitamin D in the winter. The study appears in the November Pediatrics.
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