Description
A number of studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is very common, especially in certain high-risk populations. This situation has occurred, in part, because the foods in the typical American diet are very low in vitamin D. Fatty fish, such as mackeral and salmon and fish liver oils, are some of the few natural dietary sources of vitamin D. Most people do not eat enough of these foods to maintain adequate vitamin D levels. In the United States, vitamin D is added to milk in order to prevent the occurrence of rickets in the pediatric population. Unfortunately, too many children do not drink enough milk to raise their vitamin D levels to the optimum range. Also, recent studies have shown that the level of vitamin D in fortified milk is frequently much lower than that recommended by the FDA. Human milk contains very little vitamin D because many mothers are deficient, so children of mothers who choose to breast-feed are at risk of developing rickets if they are not given supplemental vitamin D. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants who are exclusively breast-feeding should be given a supplement of vitamin D.