Vitamin D deficiency in UK a major problem
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012Doctors recommend daily vitamin D supplementation, to all pregnant, breast feeding women and children under 5, after doctors notice an alarming reoccurrence of the vitamin D deficiency disease rickets.
Dr Benjamin Jacobs, consultant paediatrician at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, described the issue as a “major problem”.
He told BBC Breakfast: “We see about one case of rickets a month in our hospital, but that’s the very severe end of the disease.
“There are many other children who have less severe problems – muscle weakness, delay in walking, bone pains – and research indicates that in many parts of the country the majority of children have a low level of Vitamin D.”
He explained that it was discovered that Vitamin D prevents rickets about 100 years ago when most children in London suffered from the disease, and it was later eradicated.
He said parents are largely unaware of the risk of the condition, while health professionals are often taught that rickets is a disease of the past.
“It’s really only over the past 10 years or so that I’ve noticed children with Vitamin D deficiency. and still I would say today, the majority of doctors, health visitors, midwives, nurses, are not aware enough of the problem,” he said.
Vitamin D has had a lot of press recently with research showing how important vitamin D is for a healthy immune system, improving healing times, preventing colds, and viruses, with a big breakthrough establishing a link between vitamin D deficiency and the development of the disease MS.
Vitamin D supplements are recommended for those people at risk of deficiency, including all pregnant and breast feeding women, children under five, and the elderly, but 74 per cent of parents know nothing about them and more than half of healthcare professionals are also unaware.
Asked about how vulnerable people can be given more Vitamin D, Dr Jacobs said current guidelines suggest taking drops or tablets, but experts are also looking into food supplementation.
He said it would not be harmful if people ended up with too much Vitamin D in their diet.
Current guidelines suggest that children and pregnant women should have 400 units a day, but he described this as a “conservative” level compared to the US, where he said a study suggested pregnant women should have 4,000 units. “In my view, it is extremely safe,” he added.
Chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said the Government would be reviewing the issue.
She said: “We know a significant proportion of people in the UK probably have inadequate levels of Vitamin D in their blood.
