While taking vitamins isn’t the first recommendation for improving a child’s health, a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests many kids are lacking vitamin D in their diets.
Vitamin D comes from sunlight and certain foods and is essential to helping the body absorb calcium—a key to maintaining healthy bones and teeth. By making sufficient calcium and vitamin D intake a life-long habit for your kids, you can help ward off health issues like osteoporosis, cancer and autoimmune disorders.
“All infants need more vitamin D than breast milk alone can provide,” says Matthew Dougherty, MD, FAAP, community physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “Babies who are exclusively and partially breastfed would benefit from a
vitamin D supplement beginning as young as two weeks of age.”
To reach the suggested daily amount of 400 IU of vitamin D, children should drink at least four eight-ounce bottles or cups of vitamin D-fortified milk or soy milk. Other fortified foods, egg yolks and fish also are good sources of vitamin D.
Talk with your child’s pediatrician about recommended vitamin D intake or call 314.454.KIDS (5437) or toll-free 800.678.KIDS for more information.