Posted on 10/26/2009 4:21:40 AM PDT by decimon
CHICAGO – At least one in five U.S. children aged 1 to 11 don't get enough vitamin D and could be at risk for a variety of health problems including weak bones, the most recent national analysis suggests.
By a looser measure, almost 90 percent of black children that age and 80 percent of Hispanic kids could be vitamin D deficient — "astounding numbers" that should serve as a call to action, said Dr. Jonathan Mansbach, lead author of the new analysis and a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital in Boston.
>
The body also makes vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin, but many children don't spend enough time outdoors. That's one reason why lower vitamin D levels are found in children living in colder climates and those with darker skin, which absorbs less sunlight.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Not to mention feeding kids soy milk because “that cow stuff is bad for you”...
“20 minutes in the sun will give a person the 5000 IU’s of vitamin D that’s required.”
But 20 minutes in the sun on the southside of Chicago could cost you your life.
Oh nothing wrong with acting in your own best interest and I agree, disclosure is important.
This may be premature, but... Since I've upped my vitamin D intake to 5,000 - 6,000 IU a day, Ive seen my age spots fading. I'm 64 years old.
The two hypervitaminosis D patients had been intoxicated as a result of supplementation by their physicians. Both had undergone surgery on their necks for cancer and as can happen in such surgery the parathyroid glands were damaged. This resulted in a low serum calcium causing irritability, and possibly uncontrollable muscle spasm. At the time, (late 1970’s) the only available treatment was supplemental oral calcium and large doses of Vitamin D.
What the treating physicians did not realize, was that the parathyroid gland damage is often transient and may recover in several days. Both of these patients received three weeks of high dose calcium gluconate orally, and Vitamin D. (ergocalciferol or D2) Probably 2-3 grams daily. Activation of Vitamin D to 25 hydroxy form is not rate limited in the liver and is totally dependent on how much precursor is available. So both of these patients must have had massively elevated serum levels, but that test was not available at the time.
Both developed coma, renal failure and marked elevation of their serum calcium levels. They were successfully treated with IV fluids, diuretics and steroids, but it took several weeks for them to wake up and recover kidney function. One of them suffered from kidney stones for years thereafter.
You asked why sun worshipers don’t suffer the same problem. It’s probably because conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to D3 in the skin is rate limited by the amount of UV exposure and as the skin tans, progressively less and less UV light penetrates deeply enough to convert the 7-dhc to D3.
I’m not a Vitamin D expert by any stretch. I haven’t treated either deficiency or intoxication in years.
Vitamin D is cheap, buy a bottle and give the kids 2000 I.U. a day. I have been taking it for the past two months. From what I hear vitamin D is better than C.
6000? I thought the safe level was 4000 IU?
Except soy milk has phytoestrogens, giving boys girl characteristics and vice versa.
Is there a natural med or homeopathy ping list?
The gist of the lecture I saw last week stated that "safe" D3 intake amounts vary widely from individual to individual. What you are really looking for is the blood serum level of Vitamin D. The only real way of knowing if you are taking enough is to have your blood tested. They also said not to have your blood tested until 6 weeks after you begin taking D3.
After being diagnosed with the following: MS, ALS, Chemical immunodeficiency, arthritis,, I had a doc run a simple Vit-D test. My Vitamin D level was almost non-existent. For the next 3 months I took a 20,000 IU tablet once a week, and took 4000 IU Vit-d3 tabs daily. Within three months, all my symptoms had almost vanished.
So, in my case, 4000IU’s was the daily dose. I still take 2000IU daily. It’s amazing what this particular chemical controls in the body.
Yes, it is amazing! Thank goodness for you that your Doctor was up on the wonders of vitamin D!
I’m hearing more and more good things about vit. D! I will never stop taking it!
2 - 3 grams? Yowser! The conversion of grams to IU varies with the vitamin type but I'm reading that 2.5 micrograms equals 100 IU for vitamin D. If that's so, and my math is correct, they were getting some 100 million IU daily.
The two patients with hypervitaminosis D both survived, however they were very ill for weeks. I’d really rather not go there again, thank you.
How many ulcers have you seen caused by ibuprofen?
That’s interesting that you have been diagonosed with such autoimmune diseases, as my mom has MS and I have psoriasis and both of our doctors have recommended boosting out Via D intake.
I love being outside and enjoy the sunlight, but my mom has very fair skin and tries to avoid direct sunlight. In the winter months, I go to a tanning bed 1-2 times a week, which keeps my P symptoms in check. I’m not sure how good of a source of Via D it is, but it has significantly helped. She has been taking Via D for about 2 months now, watched her diet and lost about 23 pounds and I believe a combination of that has really helped her.
I’m glad to hear that somone else with similar problems has had success with Via. D. That gives us both hope.
Not that I know.
Even Flintstone Vitamins now have 400 UI of Vitamin D folks ... Kick your kids outside, let them get some sun, that and the sheer excercise of being outdoors will make for healthier kids ...
Yep, so today’s hyper-concerned parents are breeding a generation of pale-skinned, effeminate metrosexuals who are heavily susceptible to influenza.
Go outside, drink yer whole milk, and quit whining - you don’t always win!
My sis-in-law drenches her kids in sunblock every day. Of course I use it when my son is going to be outside for an extended amount of time, but we’ve been out for about 30 minutes the last couple of days and he’s been just fine. Sunblock contains xenoestrogens which do the same thing as phytoestrogens. I use Burts Bee’s natural sunblock. It’s expensive, but it doesn’t have any harmful additives.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.