Vitamin D and children: why it is important to administer it in pediatric age
Unlike vitamin C, vitamin D is not found only in food, but is mainly absorbed through exposure to the sun. Nonetheless, getting children used to eating in a balanced and healthy way is an essential practice to ensure their optimal growth. video below you can find some ideas for healthy snacks to be enjoyed at school in the coming days, watch it and then continue reading for all the information on vitamin D.
Vitamin D: what it is and where to find it
As a parent it is your duty to ensure that your baby grows up healthy and strong, from the very first days of life. Taking care of a newborn requires a lot of energy and effort, but it is important to continue with the care even in the following years.
Since you met your baby you will have been listed some protections to give to the newborn baby: several good practices to adopt, some advice on breastfeeding and a short list of vitamins to be administered orally with drops, including vitamin D.
It starts from very young to integrate vitamin D because babies are naturally deficient in it, but they still need it to grow healthily.
When we talk about vitamin D we actually mean a group of vitamins: the most important are vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).
The first is of vegetable origin, while vitamin D3 is what the human body produces and metabolizes on a daily basis.
In fact, vitamin D is normally produced in the skin thanks to direct exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation. This completely natural mechanism causes dehydrocholesterol, a derivative of cholesterol, to be transformed into vitamin D3. At this stage the substance is transformed. it is not yet active, it will have to reach the liver and kidney to become a hormone: 25- (OH) 2 -cholecalciferol.
A small amount of vitamin D can be introduced with the diet, which is contained in foods that are rarely eaten willingly by children, such as fatty fish (salmon), herring, sardines and cod liver oil. , canned tuna, egg yolk, butter, green leafy vegetables and other foods with added vitamin D such as certain varieties of milk.
Why supplementing vitamin D is important for children
The general opinion of the experts is that this vitamin must absolutely be administered to children, of any age. Why is this hormone so important to their health?
Consider that in a situation where a correct lifestyle is followed, the vitamin D taken through the diet is only equal to about 20% of the daily requirement. The rest, 80%, should be naturally produced by our body thanks to direct contact with the sun.
It is no coincidence that vitamin D, and specifically D3, is also called the vitamin of the Sun.
Taking appropriate doses of this substance according to age is essential to ensure that our child develops correctly: not only does it promote the absorption of calcium from the intestine, but it allows other vital functions to be activated in the same way. right.
For example that calcium and phosphorus are reabsorbed by the kidney; this is essential for the deposit of calcium in the bones and teeth since it is precisely the two substances that give the skeletal system strength and solidity.
The latest research on the subject underlines how vitamin D is able to bring significant benefits to both the immune and neuromuscular systems of a child in developmental age, but also that it is a fantastic ally to prevent respiratory infections in the child, exacerbations of asthma attacks. and improve the state of atopic dermatitis.
An adequate intake of vitamin D is therefore essential in all age groups. In particular it is for fetuses in the womb (prenatal phase) and for those in the first years of life, but the importance of having the correct amounts of vitamin D in the body continues throughout the growth period, adolescence included.
Vitamin D deficiency: why are children affected by it?
To date, it is estimated that about 50-70% of Italian children have a vitamin D deficiency, with peaks in the neonatal and adolescent years. Consequently, it is necessary to supplement this hormone for a very long period of time. causes that lead to these results can be found in today's lifestyle, too little focused on favoring situations in which it is possible to obtain vitamin D. And unfortunately this is seen both in children and in adults.
The habits of young people in developed countries are very different from those in developing countries: insufficient sun exposure, incorrect lifestyles, hasty and not always correct nutrition (consumption of unbalanced foods such as junk foods instead of fresh foods), little varied diet and a sedentary lifestyle. All risk factors for running into a vitamin D deficiency.
Being locked up many hours a day at school and at home, in front of tablets, smartphones and television certainly does not help to cover the daily requirement of this hormone in a child / boy who is in full growth. Moreover, when we are exposed to the sun, we tend to cover ourselves with abundant doses of sunscreen, which while on the one hand is a completely correct practice to prevent the onset of melanoma on the skin, on the other it minimizes our natural production. of vitamin D. The hormone is activated and produced only when contact with the sun and ultraviolet rays is direct and not shielded by the shield barriers of many products with UVA and UVB protection.
It is therefore not surprising that several studies in recent years have brought to light the fact that many children in our country are determined by low levels of vitamin D.
How to check for a vitamin D deficiency in a child
Once you have identified some of the possible causes of vitamin D deficiency, it is quite easy to recognize the symptoms.
The most classic is asthenia, or physical fatigue, but muscle weakness, a slowdown in bone growth and minor pains are also common.
However, to be sure that the child has a deficiency of this vitamin and is not only going through a critical phase of his growth path, it is necessary to perform some blood tests, measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D). If the laboratory analyzes show levels below 30 ng / ml then we are dealing with hypovitaminosis.
If the child is very young (under 2 years of age), vitamin D deficiency manifests itself with rickets, an "alteration in bone growth that is characterized by mineralization problems of the developing bone and consequent deformity of the skeleton.
Even if rickets is considered to be outdated in Italy today, it has not yet disappeared in other areas of the world. It can be diagnosed in young children, especially migrants or those of African origin and therefore with very dark skin. Precisely because of the color of their skin, these children are better protected from ultraviolet rays, but synthesize less vitamin D.
When a diagnosis of rickets is made, here is what we see from a physical point of view: an enlargement of the wrists and ankles, the appearance of lumpiness in the chest (the so-called rachitic rosary) and the softening of the bones of the skull (skull ball of ping pong), as well as a curvature of the long bones of the lower limbs.
In children over 2 years of age, hypovitaminosis is more characterized by generalized muscle weakness and a greater risk of suffering fractures.
When is vitamin D supplement needed and for how long to give it to children
The most important Italian pediatric societies support vitamin D supplementation only in the first 12 months of life, and especially in breastfed children, at a dosage of 400 I.U. per day. Even before that, the pregnant mother is advised to take specific supplements orally or to expose herself to the sun for at least 20 minutes a day (time recommended on average for an adult to have sufficient quantities of vitamin D to assimilate, as long as hands and face are exposed without sunscreens). This time for babies and infants has not yet been proven, not to mention that infants under 6 months of age should not be left in sunlight.
Vitamin D supplementation is also recommended beyond the first year of life and throughout the growth period, including adolescence, especially in the months in which there is scarcity of natural light such as the winter period or when there are risk factors (inadequate diet, chronic diseases and dark skin).
To ensure that vitamin D levels are adequate until the age of majority, a varied and balanced diet is recommended and encourages the practice of sports and outdoor activities.
If this is not enough, pediatricians urge you to supplement this hormone with special products in drops, easy and quick to administer even to the very young. Small vials of vitamin D easily purchased in pharmacies, completely free of contraindications and natural. There are no better brands than the others because this substance is correctly contained in all the best known, consequently the purchase choice will tend to be made on the advice of the pediatrician or also based on the practicality of the bottle itself. Below 12 months the range is the one mentioned above, around 400 u.i. per day while for the later age groups it reaches 600 u.i, also counting adolescence.
The equivalent in drops is minimal: for newborns 2-4 drops of vitamin D per day are enough and for older children to increase by a few more drops. For a more certain quantity, it is recommended to read the information sheet of the supplement purchased or ask a doctor for a quick opinion.
Not sure how to get your little one to take the vitamin? If it is a newborn baby, slide the drops to the side of his mouth, thanks to the special pipette; if it is more autonomous, feed it with a teaspoon or mix the drops directly in the morning bottle or in the baby food.
The operation should be daily, but since it is very quick, it is not always easy to remember! Don't worry, even if you skip a few sessions nothing bad happens.
Hypervitaminosis: how to avoid it
Could there be risks of over-administration?
Situations of hypervitaminosis, or an excess of vitamin D, arise only if drugs containing this substance are given excessively.
Getting too much sun or eating a lot of foods that contain vitamin D has never led to any case of hypervitaminosis. In other words, when you put yourself under the sun's rays or eat the foods that contain it, a sort of overproduction is not activated; indeed it is only good!
The symptoms of this disorder are in fact determined by an excessive absorption of calcium which in turn leads to an increase in calcium, or the concentration of calcium in the blood. The feeling of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and in the long run the calcium also causes kidney and heart damage caused by the deposition of calcium in the affected organs are linked to this malaise.
How to avoid getting into a hypervitaminosis situation? Simply following the instructions given by the pediatrician or pharmacist and do not give more drops than necessary to the child.
- Veronesi Foundation
- Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome
