NEW YORK, Mar 12, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- One in 7 U.S. adolescents is vitamin
D deficient, which can increase the risk for bone mineralization and lead to
rickets.
Researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York said the study
employs a new definition of vitamin D deficiency recommended by a group of
scientists attending the 13th Workshop Consensus for Vitamin D Nutritional
Guidelines in 2007.
They collectively proposed that the minimum acceptable serum vitamin D level be
raised from 11 nanograms per milliliter to at least 20 ng/mL.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found more than half of
African-American teens are vitamin D deficient and girls had more than twice the
risk of deficiency compared with boys.
"These are alarming findings. We need to do a better job of educating the public
on the importance of vitamin D, and the best ways to get it. Teens need to
consume at least four glasses of fortified milk daily or its dietary
equivalent," Dr. Sandy Saintonge of Weill Cornell Medical College and New York
Hospital Queens said in a statement.
"Other foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, tuna, eggs and fortified cereals.
A vitamin supplement containing 400 international units of vitamin D is another
alternative."
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