A landmark clinical study conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with Queen Mary, University of London, concluded that vitamin D supplements do not strengthen bones or protect against fractures in vitamin D-deficient children. Read on to find out why.
Pediatric fractures are a major public health problem that can lead to long-term disability.
Get Enough Vitamin D It has immense benefits for your overall health and well-being. Experts say this vital nutrient helps with the growth and development of bones and teeth, especially in growing children. It also boosts your immune system, improving your resistance to certain diseases.
Vitamin D is naturally produced in the body when exposed to direct sunlight, but you can also get this vitamin from certain foods and supplements that help maintain adequate levels in your blood. However, experts say childhood fractures and fractures are a major public health challenge worldwide. They can cause long-term disabilities and reduced quality of life. Although vitamin D is important for strong bones, studies have found that supplements of this nutrient do not improve bone strength or prevent fractures in children with vitamin D deficiency.
The study, conducted by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Queen Mary, University of London, found that supplements are not the solution to strengthening children’s bones.
According to the researchers, children in Mongolia, which has the highest fracture burden in the world and also a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, participated in the large-scale study.
“It is surprising that continuous high-dose vitamin D supplementation in vitamin D-deficient children had no effect on fracture risk or bone strength. In adults, vitamin D supplementation is most effective in preventing fractures when calcium is given at the same time, so the fact that study participants were not given calcium along with vitamin D may explain the null results in this study,” said Dr. Gamma Davasambu, associate professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Over a three-year period, at least 8,851 Mongolian schoolchildren aged 6-13 years were given weekly oral vitamin D supplements. “95.5% of participants had vitamin D deficiency at baseline, and the study supplement was highly effective in raising vitamin D levels to the normal range. However, there was no effect on fracture risk or bone strength, measured in a subset of 1,438 participants using quantitative ultrasound,” the study found.
Natural ways to boost your child’s vitamin D
Instead of giving supplements, experts recommend several natural foods that can fix vitamin D deficiency in children. Some of them are listed below:
- salmon
- sardine
- herring
- Canned tuna
- Cod liver oil
- Beef liver
- egg yolk
- Ordinary mushroom
- Fortified milk
- Certain cereals and oatmeal
- Yogurt
- orange juice
How much Vitamin D is right for you?
The recommended intakes for Vitamin D are:
- Infants (0-12 months): 10 micrograms or mcg or 400 international units
- Teenagers: 15 mcg (600 IU)
- Adults 18–70 years: 15 mcg (600 IU)
- Adults 70 years and older: 20 mcg (800 IU)
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women: 15 mcg (600 IU)
