Sunday Nov 17, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency may cause anemia in children, according to new research published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

The study led by Meredith Atkinson, M.D., M.H.S and colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center shows that vitamin D may play a role in the production of hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding protein in red blood cells.  Anemia is a condition in which hemoglobin is low.

The investigators tested blood samples from 10400 children to track levels of vitamin D and hemoglobin and found vitamin D levels were lower in children with low hemoglobin concentrations, compared with children without anemia.

The risk of anemia was particularly higher among children with mild vitamin D deficiency defined as having vitamin D levels below 30 ng/mL.  These children were twice as likely as those with normal vitamin D levels to develop anemia.  Severe vitamin D deficiency is defined as having vitamin D levels at or below 20 ng/mL.   Vitamin D deficiency needs to be treated with vitamin D supplements, which are available on the Internet or local health stores.

Black children are particularly vulnerable and the rate of anemia was 14%, compared to 2% among white children.  Black skin is believed to prevent the absorption of sun rays which are needed to synthesize vitamin D.  Black children had lower vitamin D levels, but anemia was found in children who had vitamin D levels below the levels of vitamin D in white children.

In a press release, Johns Hopkins Medicine reminds readers that "Untreated, chronic anemia and vitamin D deficiency can have wide-ranging health consequences, including organ damage, skeletal deformities and frequent fractures, and lead to premature osteoporosis in later life."

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to more than 100 health conditions or diseases including cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes and infections. (David Liu, PHD)