Thursday, January 8, 2009

Vitamin D Update


Children of all ages should get 400 IU of vitamin D daily. This is according to updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. That's double the previous recommendation. Vitamin D will help kids develop strong bones and prevents rickets, and recent research has linked greater intakes with lower rates of diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and breast cancer in adults.

Breastfed babies including those who drank a quart of formula a day should start vitamin D drops in the first few days of life and take them for the first year. It takes four 8-ounce glasses of milk to get the full 400 IU, so even older kids who love milk will have a hard time getting enough vitamin D from it and from other fortified foods such as orange juice and cereal. They should take a daily multivitamin.

Source: Parents Mag

No comments: