Can Vit D3 Cause Hair Loss
Both vitamin D deficiency, as well as vitamin D excess, may cause hair loss, Chacon explains. A 2020 study in the International Journal of Dermatology found that vitamin D deficiency may also play a role in the development and severity of androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness.
When More Vitamin D Is Needed
Doctors may recommend that your child receive more vitamin D than these recommended amounts depending on a variety of risk factors, including:
- Certain medical problems, like obesity, celiac disease or cystic fibrosis
- If the child is healing from bone surgery
- Or if the child is taking medications that alter the way the body uses vitamin D
When Taking Vitamin D Supplements:
To reap the most benefits of the vitamin D supplements, take the supplement with a food thats considered a healthy fat, like avocado. Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means it needs fat to bind to in order to be consumed efficiently, says Lakshmi Nandiwada, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician.
Supplement production is not overseen by the Food and Drug Administration, so its important to talk to your doctor about whats best for your child before administering.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
How Much Vitamin D Should I Take For Optimal Health
Your need for vitamin D goes up if any of these factors apply to you:
- You know youre already deficient in vitamin D
- You have dark skin
- Youre an older adult over 70 . Infants, children and older adults are all at risk for low vitamin D.
- You spend little time outdoors or always wear sunscreen when exposed to sunlight
- Youre a shift worker, health care worker or another indoor worker, which means you get little outdoor time and sunlight exposure
- Youre overweight or obese
- You are a nursing home resident or hospitalized patient
- You have a health condition, such as celiac disease, Crohns disease or cystic fibrosis, that interferes with absorption and processing of vitamin D in the intestines, kidneys or liver
- Breast-fed infants are also at risk for vitamin D deficiency, which is why supplementing is recommended
How much vitamin D should women take per day?
According to the USDA and National Institutes of Health, the standard recommendation of vitamin D that adult women should take in order to prevent deficiency is between 600 to 800 international units per day, depending on age. The exact number is debatable, and some experts feel that a higher dose of vitamin D, around 2,ooo to 5,000 IU per day, may be more beneficial.
How much vitamin D should men take per day?
The standard recommendation for adult men is also between 600 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day. Adults over 70 should supplement with more, at least 800 IU per day, while younger adults need at least 600 IU daily.
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How Much Vitamin D Should I Give My Child
Parents need to calculate the amount of vitamin D their child gets from fortified milk, other food, and vitamin supplements to make sure the total amount does not exceed: 1,000 to 1,500 IU a day for infants 2,500 to 3,000 IU a day for children 1 to 8 years old 4,000 IU a day for children 9 years and older
How Can We Assess The Vitamin D Status In Infants And Children
In recent years, a valid aid for establishing the adequate intake of vitamin D has been provided by the measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level as an index of vitamin D status: for this reason, since 2003, the request for a dosage of 25 OH D3 has increased 15 times at the Mayo Clinic of Rochester . In fact, it is now clear that the metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D has a half-life of about 3 weeks and therefore it is the most reliable indicator of the vitamin D status and total body stores. The metabolite 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D should not be used because it may be increased by secondary hyperparathyroidism .
The same ranges are also considered valid for newborns, infants, children and adolescents, but few studies have been conducted among paediatric subjects to determine whether these limits are valid . One study by Zeghoud et al. performed in young infants revealed that the concentration of the parathyroid hormone only increased when 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were in the vitamin D-deficient range, and in another study, Docio et al. suggest that among prepubertal children, perturbations in calcium homeostasis occur when 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are between 12 and 20 ng/mL. Studies performed in adolescents showed that parathyroid hormone concentrations increased when 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations dropped below 1216 ng/mL .
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Good Sources Of Vitamin D
From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.
The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors.
But between October and early March we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight. Read more about vitamin D and sunlight.
Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods.
- fortified foods such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals
Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements.
In the UK, cows’ milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it is not fortified, as it is in some other countries.
Can A Baby Take A Vitamin D Supplement
Although all standard infant formulas are fortified with vitamin D, vitamin D supplementation is also recommended for formula-fed babies. A baby would need to drink a quart of formula each day to get the recommended amount of vitamin D, Dr. Levine says, and young infants may not take in that much.
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How To Prevent And Treat Vitamin D Deficiency In School Age Children
28/ Identify those at higher risk and look for symptoms and signs.10
No risk factors No investigations needed
Give lifestyle advice** and consider prevention
Risk factors but no symptoms Lifestyle advice** and start prevention.
Risk factors and symptoms or signs Do blood tests and / or X-rays.
Start treatment and consider long term
prevention, at least until the child stops
growing.
- Advising about diet and the use over-the-counter supplements.
30/ ONLY test vitamin D status if someone has symptoms of deficiency or is at high risk.10
Kids May Need 10 Times More Vitamin D
Study: Kids Need 2,000 IU of Vitamin D, Not 200 IU Now Recommended
May 28, 2008 — Children and teens need 10 times more than the recommended dose of vitamin D, a clinical trial suggests.
“Our research reveals that vitamin D, at doses equivalent to 2,000 IU a day, is not only safe for adolescents, but it is actually necessary for achieving desirable vitamin D levels,” study leader Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, MD, of the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon, says in a news release.
Kids are advised to get a daily vitamin D dose of 200 IU. That suggestion came from an Institute of Medicine panel that based its recommendation on the amount of vitamin D needed to prevent rickets in infants.
However, more and more vitamin D experts have begun to suggest that children and adults need much more vitamin D than previously recognized.
New evidence strongly supports this opinion. El-Hajj Fuleihan and colleagues enrolled 340 schoolchildren in a one-year study. These 10- to 17-year-old kids attended schools in Beirut, Lebanon.
A third of the kids received an inactive, sham treatment. Another third got the recommended 200 IU/day dose of vitamin D3 . And, after an earlier safety study showed it would not be toxic, the remaining third of the kids got 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D3 — 10 times the recommended dose for adequate daily intake.
Before starting your child on supplements or vitamins, always consult with your pediatrician.
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How Can We Evaluate The Toxic Serum Concentrations In Infants And Children
The mechanisms giving rise to vitamin D toxicity are still unclear. It has been emphasized how the level of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D can be within the normal range also in the presence of high levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and hypercalcaemia: the explanation advanced is that a high concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other vitamin D metabolites displaces the free 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D from the vitamin D binding protein, allowing an intracellular action on gene transcription and the priming of its biochemical effects .
What Does Vitamin D Do
Vitamin D helps the body appropriately absorb and regulate calcium, which is essential for bone health. Without enough vitamin D, kids may suffer from weak or brittle bones that break easily. They can also develop rickets, a bone condition caused by severe vitamin D deficiency. Rickets can lead to bowed legs and stunted growth.
“The primary function for vitamin D, the one we focus on the most, is bone health,” explains Dr. Barlow. “Vitamin D acts almost like a construction site supervisor. It makes sure the materials we need for strong bones such as calcium and phosphate are where they need to be, and in the correct amounts.”
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Fortification And A Comeback
The discovery of vitamin D led to its widespread fortification in Europe and the United States in the 1930s and 40s. Not only in milk but in soda, custard, bread, cereals, and even beer. One advertising for beer said: if you want to keep sunny energy all winter long drink vitamin D fortified Schlitz beer.
In 1931, the United States government established an agency, the Department of Labor, whose main goal was to promote sensible sun exposure to prevent rickets. Within a few years of fortification and guidance on sun exposure, rickets was eradicated.
In the 1950s there was an outbreak of hypercalcemia in England which included infants with heart problems and elfin faces which led to the removal of fortification in Great Britain. Investigators believed it was due to vitamin D toxicity. This ban spread across Europe.
It is now believed that these infants had a rare disease called Williams syndrome, which produces hypersensitivity to vitamin D. Despite this setback, rickets was thought of as a disease of the past.
Yet in the 1970s, rickets began to be reported again. Health experts believe this had to do with a resurgence of breastfeeding. Thats because formula is fortified with vitamin D, but breastmilk is low . Out of several hundred children with rickets, many had been long-term breastfeeders.
Recommended Dose Vitamin D
Moreover, the infants who are obese, dark skin, the one rarely of outside, or the one wear clothing that covers heir skin. They need a supplement diet to ensure they have level vitamin D in the body. Well, some of the medications interfere with vitamin to make sure that your kids pediatrician knows all the medicines they intake usually.
Hence, in this way, you will come to serve your kid a good amount of Vitamin D. Because it will also be very beneficial in supporting good nervous system health, strengthens defenses against infections, and can improve lung and heart health in every aged person. As per the study shows that good vitamin D supplements can prevent the risk of diabetes, strengthening bones and preventing rickets as well.
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Risk Factors For Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Some people, including seniors, have a higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency. Vegans also have a higher risk, since its difficult to get the vitamin from food not sourced from animals.
Seniors may be predisposed to vitamin B12 deficiency, especially if they suffer from health conditions. Additionally, seniors with pernicious anemia are at higher risk for a deficiency. Thats because this disorder makes it hard for your body to produce intrinsic factor , a protein that plays a key role in the absorption of vitamin B12.
Digestive disorders including Celiac disease, atrophic gastritis, and shortened small intestines can all increase the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency since nutrients arent as easily absorbed. Crohns disease and pernicious anemia may also increase the risk of malabsorption.
Taking certain medications may also inhibit B12 absorption in seniors. Metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes and chloramphenicol, may make it difficult for your body to absorb B vitamins. Heartburn medications including proton pump inhibitors can also increase your deficiency risk.
How Much Vitamin D Do Pre
By Leigh Krietsch Boerner, Reuters Health
5 Min Read
NEW YORK – In the winter, pre-teen girls may need more vitamin D — either from diet or supplements — to have healthy bones, a new study says.
The goal of the study was to figure out how much vitamin D girls aged 11 to 12 would need to take every day in order to keep the levels of this nutrient in their blood at healthy levels. Some experts think that since these girls are growing fast, vitamin D might be particularly important.
Vitamin D aids bone growth by helping the body absorb calcium. An extreme lack of vitamin D can lead to rickets, which causes delayed growth, muscle weakness, and teeth problem in kids. But in the U.S. at least, rickets is rare, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Our skin can make vitamin D when its exposed to sunlight, or we can get the nutrient in our diet or as supplements.
In the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Kevin Cashman, head of the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork in Ireland, and colleagues found that teen girls need a vitamin D intake of about 750 IU per day to have levels in their blood that allow for healthy bone growth.
This amount is slightly higher than the US Institute of Medicines recommendation of 600 IU per day for everyone between the ages of one and 70.
This discrepancy is not surprising. Most experts disagree over what the right amount of vitamin D really is.
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Does My Child Need A Vitamin D Supplement
Because breast milk is not a good source of vitamin D, breastfed infants should be given 400 IU of vitamin D daily, beginning soon after birth and continuing at least until they start eating solid foods. This supplement can be given through liquid vitamin D drops. Formula-fed babies should also receive a liquid vitamin D supplement until they drink at least 32 ounces of vitamin D-fortified formula per day.
If you are concerned that your child or teenager is not receiving enough vitamin D from diet or sun exposure, ask your pediatrician if a supplement is needed. A daily multivitamin for kids would include the recommended daily allowance for vitamin D.
If you opt to give your child vitamin D supplements, be mindful of the recommended daily allowances for your child’s age. “It’s possible to have too much vitamin D, and when that happens, kids can develop kidney stones,” Dr. Barlow says.
What Is A Low Vitamin D Level
19/ There are many debates about the ideal vitamin D blood level. Deficiency has been defined as a blood level of 25 hydroxyvitamin Dbelow 25 nmol/L there is consensus that optimal levels lie above 50 nmol/L.9
20/ Some laboratories define a deficiency of vitamin D as levels below 25, or even 30, and an insufficiency of vitamin D as a level between either 25 or 30 and 50 or 70 nmol/L.
21/ School doctors may wish to check with their local biochemistry laboratory as to what is defined as deficiency or insufficiency, vitamin D test costs around £20 on the NHS. And you can ordered via LOC at a discounted cost of £35.
22/ In the latest report of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on Vitamin D and Health , the current threshold of a vitamin D level of 25 nmol/L has remained as the level below which the risk of vitamin D deficiency increases however, while this is not a clinical threshold diagnostic of disease, it is indicative of increased risk or poor musculoskeletal health.8
How common is vitamin D deficiency in school age children?
23/ Public Health England published data in 2014 showing that in the winter months 30-40%of all age groups in the general population are classed as vitamin D deficient and that even towards the end of the summer13% of adolescents remain deficient .
24/ The latest data show the population by age with a plasma vitamin D level of < 25 nmol/L, in the 11 to 18-year age group, is 20-24% of the total.
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Reasons For Vitamin D Deficiency
Some of us, including our children, cant get enough sunlight to make vitamin D. People with dark skin, for example, may not absorb enough sunlight to make good amounts of this vitamin. Those who live in cloudy places with little sunshine may not get enough sun to produce an amount of vitamin D sufficient for good health. Others wear head coverings or cover their bodies with clothing for religious reasons. Covering up can make it difficult for the body to get enough sunlight to make a healthy amount of vitamin D.
In some cases, not getting enough sun is about our greater awareness of sun exposure as a risk factor for skin cancer. This means that even when our children are out of doors, we are careful to smear them with lots of sunscreen. Sunscreen not only limits the amount of sun our children get, it also limits the amount of vitamin D they can absorb from the sun.
Its also true that children, in general, arent spending as much time out of doors. This is the age of technology. That means that instead of spending time in the sun, children are more often found indoors, spending time on their computers and other devices.
Finally, for some children, not getting enough vitamin D is a medical issue. There are medical conditions, for instance, kidney disease, that can keep children from absorbing nutrients. This too, can result in not having enough vitamin D in the body.
