NEW YORK, Aug 3, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- High TV and video game use are to
blame for millions of U.S. children having alarmingly low vitamin D levels, U.S.
researchers said in a study published Monday.
The low vitamin D levels -- affecting seven out of 10 children -- may be raising
kids' risks for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, a
study published in the journal Pediatrics said.
About 9 percent of those ages 1 through 21 -- about 7.6 million children,
adolescents and young adults -- have vitamin D levels so low they could be
considered deficient, an analysis of federal data by population health Professor
Michal Melamed of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York indicated.
An additional 61 percent -- 50.8 million -- have higher levels, but still low
enough to be insufficient, she said.
Low vitamin D levels were especially common in children who were older, female,
African-American, Mexican-American, obese, drank milk less than once a week, or
spent more than four hours a day watching TV, playing video games or using
computers, the study found.
The researchers also blamed the low vitamin D levels on children using sunscreen
when they do go outdoors, The Washington Post said.
But sunlight exposure to avoid deficiency carries other risks, including skin
cancer.
The findings come as the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine
reviews U.S. guidelines for recommended daily vitamin D intake.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International