25 Jun Many US Infants Found To Be Vitamin D Deficient

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Katherine Ahrens Ph.D. MPH
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hyattsville, MD

Medical Research: What is the background for this study?

Dr. Ahrens: In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) revised their recommended minimum daily intake of vitamin D for infants and children to 400 IU.

Medical Research: What are the main findings?

Dr. Ahrens: Approximately one quarter of US infants aged 0 to 11 months met the 2008 AAP vitamin D recommendations on a given day in 2009 to 2012. Fewer than 1 in 5 breastfed infants met the vitamin D recommendations compared to nearly 1 in 3 non-breastfed infants.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Ahrens: The findings from our study show a gap between current vitamin D intake and the 2008 AAP vitamin D recommendations for US infants, particularly for breastfed infants.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Ahrens: Future research could include ascertaining reasons for low vitamin D supplementation among US infants.

Citation:

Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2015 Jun 7. pii: 0009922815589916. [Epub ahead of print]

Adherence to Vitamin D Recommendations Among US Infants Aged 0 to 11 Months, NHANES, 2009 to 2012.

Ahrens KA¹, Rossen LM², Simon AE².

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Katherine Ahrens Ph.D. MPH, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, & Hyattsville, MD (2015). Many US Infants Found To Be Vitamin D Deficient 

Last Updated on June 26, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD