New Vitamin D Recommendations for Prevention of Childhood Diseases

In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that children and adults get 200 units of vitamin D daily to keep their bodies healthy. However, the AAP recently doubled that amount for children, announcing at a Boston conference their new recommendation of 400 units of vitamin D per day, which many researchers believe may not even be enough to prevent certain diseases. Some researchers believe that 800 to 1,000 units of vitamin D may be necessary to help prevent disease. For many infants that are breast-fed, it may be necessary for mothers to also give vitamin D drops to make up for any deficiencies in the breast milk. Many baby formulas do have a sufficient amount of vitamin D, so it may not be necessary to also give a vitamin D supplement to babies getting these formulas. Toddlers and children that drink regular milk are recommended to take some type of vitamin D supplement if they are not drinking the four glasses of milk each day that would give them the recommended 400 units. Most milk that is available to consumers is fortified with vitamin D, however many young children and teens do not drink enough to get their recommended daily dose of vitamin D, so a supplement should be taken. The AAP believes that this recommended amount of vitamin D for children will help prevent serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and rickets, a disease found in children where bones soften, likely resulting in fractures and other problems. This 400 unit per day dose of the vitamin should help ward off these and other conditions and help keep children strong and healthy, however more research is still being done to find more conclusive evidence. In tests done using human tissue, researchers found that vitamin D helps kill bacteria as a result of raised protein levels.

The AAP still recommends 200 units of vitamin D per day for adults up to age 50, and 400 units per day for adults age 51 to 70. As for seniors over age 70, the AAP recommends that these older adults get 600 units of vitamin D daily to promote healthy bones, so it may be necessary for people that are not getting the recommended dose for their age range from milk and other foods to take supplements to reach that goal. Besides milk, other sources of vitamin D include fortified cereals and breads, tuna, sardines, mackerel and other oily fish and sunlight, which is converted into vitamin D by the skin. However, too much sunlight may cause skin cancer, so it is important to follow the recommended guidelines for sun exposure to avoid the risk of skin cancer. The diseases that may be avoided by increasing vitamin D levels are serious and difficult to treat. If you or a loved one has cancer, diabetes or heart disease malpractice questions in New York, contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C., serving clients with cases in Nassau and Suffolk County, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens. Our firm also serves clients located in Staten Island and Westchester County.

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