Current vitamin D recommendations 'should be higher'
New research suggests that the current recommendation for vitamin D intake in children should be raised to improve bone health.
Vitamin D is important as it helps to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, both of which are required for healthy bones and teeth.
A new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggests that the current recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D (200 international units) may safely be increased, and that children actually need much more than this level.
Lead author Dr Ghada El-Haff Fuleihan, of the American University of Beirut Medical Centre in Lebanon, commented: "Our research reveals that vitamin D, at doses equivalent to 2,000 IUs a day, is not only safe for adolescents, but it is actually necessary for achieving desirable vitamin D levels."
The expert's claims follow a study involving 340 students who were given either 1,400 IUs per week or 14,000 IUs per week.
Only those children on the higher dosage had increased levels of 25-OHD - the active form of vitamin D in the blood - from their mid-teens to mid-30s, and none of the participants showed signs of taking too much vitamin D.
Dr Fuleihan concluded: "Supplementation of children and adolescents with 2,000 IUs a day of vitamin D3 is well tolerated and safe. This is particularly relevant in light of the increasingly recognised health benefits of vitamin D for adults and children."
New research suggests that the current recommendation for vitamin D intake in children should be raised to improve bone health.
