The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says it will double its recommended minimum intake of vitamin D for infants, children and teens, from 200 international units (IU) to 400 IU per day.
The move comes as doctors increasingly raise concerns that children, particularly breast-fed infants, do not get enough of the vitamin, which not only promotes calcium absorption and bone health but may also stave off diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. Continue reading »
I've written more than a few stories on how Americans are by and large lacking in Vitamin D, but wow, was I unprepared for what I heard when I asked Frank Greer how many babies get enough Vitamin D: "If it's 30 percent, I'd be surprised."
Greer should know; he leads the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on nutrition, which just doubled its recommendation for daily Vitamin D intake in children from 200 to 400 IU a day. The docs were concerned Continue reading »