The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recently issued updated guidelines for vitamin D intake for infants, children, and teens to prevent vitamin D deficiency and Rickets.  The AAP now recommends that all children, including newborns, receive 400 IU of Vitamin D daily.  

Despite the fact that vitamin D dietary sources are rare (it is nearly impossible to get adequate vitamin D from diet alone), vitamin D is actually produced in the skin in response to ultraviolet sunlight.  Should be easy to get then, right?  Wrong.  Not even here in So Cal where it hasn’t rained since my 8 month-old was born (or so it seems.)  Why is it so hard to get?  

For one thing, the amount of sunlight exposure needed to synthesize adequate vitamin D is nearly impossible to determine, as there are countless variables.  Secondly, most of us, even in So Cal, don’t even come close to getting enough exposure. Since the risk of skin cancer increases with sun exposure, many folks either avoid the sun altogether, or cover up with extra clothes or a sunscreen, which, even in a relatively weak SPF 8 lotion, can decrease your body’s ability to synthesize vitamin D by 95%. Infants are especially are at risk, as it is not recommended that they go out in the sun for long periods.  According to the AAP, “Indirect epidemiologic evidence now suggests the age at which direct sunlight exposure is initiated is even more important than the total sunlight exposure over a lifetime in determining the risk of skin cancer.” Dark skinned folks are also at greater risk for vitamin D deficiency as they have increased difficulties synthesizing vitamin D from sunlight.  Also, the farther away from the equator you are, the longer you need in the sun to get adequate vitamin D.   And, FYI, you can not absorb the type of sunlight that is required for vitamin D synthesis through glass.  So, despite the fact that you can get fried on your  annoying commute, you cannot enjoy the benefits of vitamin D supplementation.  Drag.  

Vitamin D is essential for the proper absorption of calcium and phosphorus and promotes the development of teeth and bones.  Deficiency of Vitamin D leads to bone decalcification and weakening, as well as the terrible disease rickets, which can lead to skeletal deformities.   Vitamin D deficiency has recently been linked to diabetes and certain forms of cancer.  According to Medscape, “New data suggest that vitamin D has a potential role in maintaining innate immunity and in reducing the risk for certain chronic diseases including diabetes and cancer. This new evidence may eventually change the definition of vitamin D sufficiency or deficiency. Currently, vitamin D insufficiency in adults is defined as a level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D of 50 to 80 nmol/L and vitamin D deficiency as a level less than 50 nmol/L.”

Although Rickets has been relatively rare in Westernized countries, it is still seen, especially in breast-fed children and children with dark pigmentation.  For this reason, it is now recommended that breast-fed infants begin vitamin D supplementation within the first few days of life, as human milk has less than .06 percent of the vitamin D your baby needs.  Infants who are fed at least 500 ml of formula a day, are likely getting the vitamin D they need, as long as the formula was made in the US.  The AAP, however, does continue to recommend exclusive breast-feeding for at least the first 6 months of life when possible.  So, it is not recommended that you switch your baby to formula just to get the vitamin D benefit.  Instead, talk to your doctor about supplementation.

Unless you are a beach bum or supplement daily, there is a good chance you are vitamin D deficient.  A free test: Push hard on your sternum.  Or give someone else the thrill.  Don’t be a sissy, really press down there.  Does it hurt?  Then you may have vitamin D deficiency.

As always, the aforementioned information is just that, information, and is not intended to diagnose you, cure you, or turn you into a doctor.  All of your decisions regarding your health should be made with your personal heath care provider, as he/she is the only one that knows all of the particulars of your state of health.

With that in mind, go forth in health.

Melissa M Monroe, PhD, L.Ac

Eastside Family Acupuncture