From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

Recently released federal data revealed that millions of young Americans have disturbingly low vitamin D levels. Two studies assessed the levels of vitamin D, a crucial nutrient, in American children, adolescents, and young adults ages 1-21. Roughly 9%—about 7.6 million—of young Americans have such low vitamin D levels that they could be considered deficient, while an additional 61%—50.8 million—of young Americans have low enough vitamin D levels to be considered insufficient. Experts find the results surprising and disturbing, and believe action is needed to raise vitamin D levels in children. The low levels are being attributed to a variety of factors, including less time spent outdoors, higher use of sunscreen, and replacing fortified milk consumption with soda consumption. Not only did the studies reveal alarming rates of vitamin D deficiency in America, but also found an association between low vitamin D levels and increased risk for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and the metabolic syndrome. Rickets, a health problem associated with vitamin D deficiency that can cause bowlegs and other bone malformations was thought to be eliminated in the 1930s when milk was fortified with vitamin D, but beginning in the 1990s, doctors across the US began reporting an unusually high number of cases once again. In order to prevent a generation of Americans from growing up with diabetes, poor bone health, hypertension, and heart disease, the risks of vitamin D deficiency should be widely publicized and both parents and children should be given tips on how to raise their vitamin D levels.

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