Many people know that as soon as a child is born, vitamin D supplementation should be started. However, there are different opinions on how old you want to eat, some are 3 years old, and some are in kindergarten.
However, none of these claims are accurate enough. The latest expert consensus released on March 31 [1], which gathered the opinions of first-line experts, gave the answer: vitamin D supplementation is recommended until the age of 18!
The latest expert consensus recommendations
Vitamin D supplementation until 18 years old!
The survey results in recent years show that the vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency rate among children aged 0~18 years old in mainland China is more common, and there is an obvious trend: the vitamin D deficiency rate gradually increases with age.
In addition, although the rate of vitamin D supplementation is higher in infants and young children aged 0~3 years, the supplementation rate of children over 3 years old is obviously insufficient.
Combined with the high rate of vitamin D deficiency and the low rate of supplementation, experts call for vitamin D supplementation to be recommended until adolescence, that is, around the age of 18.
So, what exactly are the adverse effects of vitamin D deficiency on children's health?
1
Skeletal dysplasia
Vitamin D can promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the body, play an important role in bone development and construction, and prevent diseases such as rickets in children. If vitamin D is deficient, typical symptoms include bone pain, muscle weakness, skeletal deformities, and failure to thrive.
2
Weakened immunity
Vitamin D has an important impact on the immune system. It can enhance the activity of immune cells, improve the body's resistance to bacteria and viruses, and help prevent infections, and is known as the "divine assist of the immune system".
3
Central nervous system risk
Vitamin D plays an important role in regulating brain development, neuronutrition and protection, neurotransmitter synthesis and neuroimmune regulation in the nervous system.
Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency increases central nervous system risks such as cognitive decline and impaired social-emotional development.
4
allergic
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to an imbalance in the immune system, which can increase the risk of allergic disease. Children with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to develop allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema, and other diseases.
5
Diabetes risk
Studies have found that vitamin D can promote the growth and differentiation of pancreatic islet cells, thereby increasing insulin secretion. In addition, vitamin D can also act directly on insulin receptors, enhancing the sensitivity of insulin receptors, thereby enhancing the action of insulin.
Therefore, vitamin D is closely related to diabetes, and vitamin D deficiency is positively correlated with the incidence of diabetes.
6
Cardiovascular disease
Vitamin D is involved in the regulation of vascular endothelial function and plays an important role in maintaining normal blood pressure and cardiovascular health. Long-term vitamin D deficiency may lead to cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, etc.
Vitamin D, which is lacking for all ages,
How to supplement effectively?
It is not only children who are deficient in vitamin D, but also the elderly who are the "hardest hit areas" of vitamin D deficiency. A study based on multi-center clinical big data to evaluate the nutritional level of vitamin D in the elderly population in mainland China found that vitamin D deficiency was common among the elderly population in mainland China, with a deficiency rate of 31.92% and a deficiency rate of 40.04% [2].
So, how to effectively supplement vitamin D?
1
diet
The main sources of vitamin D are high in fatty marine fish, animal liver, egg yolk, cream, and vegetable mushrooms.
2
sunbathe
The most basic point to prevent vitamin D deficiency is to appropriately increase the daily sunlight without sun protection measures, and sufficient sunlight can promote its endogenous synthesis.
It is generally recommended to expose the arms, hands and face (or the corresponding area of skin) at noon in spring, summer and autumn, and expose the sunshine for 5-30 minutes (depending on the intensity of the sun, cloud cover, geographical location and other factors, such as a sunny day at noon in midsummer only takes a few minutes, if it is winter, it takes longer), 3 times a week.
3
Vitamin D supplements
For vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, vitamin D supplements can also be used, referring to the recommendations of the "Consensus on the Clinical Application of Vitamin D and its Analogues":
For all adults with vitamin D deficiency, it is recommended to treat with vitamin D at 6000 IU/d for 8 weeks to achieve a serum 25OHD level of more than 30ng/mL, and then maintain it at 1500~2000 IU/d.
For obese patients, patients with small intestinal malabsorption syndrome and patients who are using drugs that affect vitamin D metabolism, it is recommended to treat with high doses (2~3 times of the conventional dose, at least 6000~10000 IU/d) of vitamin D to achieve a serum 25OHD level above 30ng/mL (75nmol/L), and then maintain it at 3000~6000 IU/d.