Infants need vitamin D supplements

A new study found only 5 to 37 percent of infants in the United States met the standard for vitamin D recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008, 400 IU per day, while only 1 to 13 percent under 1 year now received a vitamin D supplement like vitamin D drops.

Vitamin D has been known to be associated with a wide range of health conditions including type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer among others in addition its role conventionally known in bone health.

Breast-fed infants are at even higher risk for vitamin D deficiency than formula-fed infants. But only 5 to 13 percent depending upon their age received the recommended daily intake of vitamin D, researchers estimated.

Even of the infants who were formula-fed, many did not get enough vitamin D. At the level of vitamin D in fortified formula, babies need to drink about 32 ounces a day to get 400 IU of vitamin D, said Cria Perrine of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For those younger than 6 months, fortified formulas can't serve as the source for vitamin D as they could not drink that much.  Because of this, the researchers suggested a vitamin D supplement is needed for the younger infants.

Another study in Pediatrics found 58 percent of newborns and 36 percent of mothers had vitamin D deficiency. Of pregnant women who took prenatal vitamins, more than 30 percent were still vitamin D deficient apparently because of the low dose of this sunshine vitamin in prenatal vitamins.

Vitamin D is very important for children's health, particularly for their brain development and immunity.  For more information on vitamin D, read Dr. John Cannell's website at vitamindcouncil.org. 

Dr. Cannell is a vitamin D expert and serves as director of this non-profit organization that aims to educate the public about the importance of vitamin D.

By David Liu and editing by Denise Reynolds