40% of infants and toddlers have vitamin D deficiency. Should you worry?

If you are giving your toddler a couple of cups of milk, vitamin D fortified orange juice, yogurt and cereal, and you take him out to play in the sun for 5 – 30 minutes each day, then there is no reason to worry. And if he has a taste for salmon and tuna, you are in really good shape. There is absolutely no need to grab that fancy multivitamin nutritional supplement on your next shopping trip. Balanced diet and an active, healthy lifestyle works like a charm!

There has been a recent buzz in the media about vitamin D deficiency among infants and toddlers. “Kids Aren’t Getting Enough Vitamin D” screams one headline, while “Vitamin D Deficiency Puts 40% of U.S. Infants and Toddlers at Risk” cries another. It is quite natural to be alarmed by such news; even I paid attention to it and started researching the topic to figure out if our twins were getting enough vitamin D each day.

It is worthwhile to get a little better understanding of why vitamin D deficiency is such a big deal. It is known to cause rickets (softening and twisting of bones in children). Vitamin D is important of absorption of calcium and phosphorus in bones to maintain their strength and proper development. Recent research is also showing that vitamin D plays an important role in prevention of diabetes, multiple sclerosis and certain cancers. It can also cause weakness in muscles if deficient. It seems to influence over 200 genes, including those that regulate cellular proliferation of both normal and cancer cells.

As I read more, I found myself fascinated by the incredible biochemistry that goes on in the body while processing vitamin D from various sources. Sunlight converts cholesterol from skin into vitamin D₃, which is converted inside the liver into another form (25-hydroxyvitamin D) and released into the circulating blood stream. Vitamin D fortified foods can contain D₃ and another form D₂, both of which end up in the liver for conversion to 25-hydroxyvitamin D. By the way, it is the level of this 25-hydroxyvitamin D that tells you if you have a vitamin D deficiency. If this level is between 30 – 60 ng/mL, you have no reason to worry! 25-hydroxyvitamin D now finds its way to the kidneys, where it is converted to the active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D under the influence of hormones from the parathyroid gland. This active form of vitamin D increases calcium absorption in the small intestine. Calcium and phosphorus absorbed in the small intestine are released in the blood, from where they are picked up by the bone cells for bone growth. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin also regulates the growth and maturity of bone cells, which in turn release back the calcium and phosphorus in the blood to maintain their levels in the circulation system. The whole system works in harmony, promoting controlled bone growth!

You can continue to be vigilant by paying attention to what you buy. Remember that unless the label says Vitamin D fortified, orange juice, yogurt, cheese and cereals do not contain this vitamin. If you have a choice, go for Vitamin D₃ because it is three times more effective than Vitamin D₂ in conversion to 25-hydroxyvitamin D. If the label simply says Vitamin D, then most likely it is Vitamin D₂.

Here are some of the products we use regularly. Looking at them, and how much our twins are getting overall each day, I am not worried about Vitamin D deficiency.