HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Greer, F. R Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Greer, F. R Agricola Articles by Greer, F. R

Issues in establishing vitamin D recommendations for infants and children^1,2,3

¹ From the Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI.

ABSTRACT

In 1963, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition recommended 400 IU of vitamin D per day for all infants and children. After the late 1970s, this became an inconsistent recommendation, particularly for breast-feeding infants. In 2003, however, the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended 200 IU/d vitamin D for all infants and children. This was in response to the vitamin D adequate intake recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine in 1997, the increasing number of reports of nutritional rickets in certain populations of American infants, and the Healthy People 2010 goal of having 75% of infants breast-fed for the first 6 mo of life. In making these recommendations, many issues were taken into consideration, including the following. 1) Vitamin D deficiency is more than rickets, which is the final stage of the deficient state among growing children. 2) Adequate sunlight exposure cannot be determined exactly for every subject. 3) There is new awareness of the hazards of ultraviolet-B light exposure in childhood and the subsequent development of skin cancer in adulthood. 4) There is decreasing intake of vitamin D-fortified foods among older children and adolescents. More research is needed in the pediatric population to determine the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D. A new definition of vitamin D deficiency that would make use of normal serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ in a given population is needed. The recommended intake of 200 IU/d may not be enough. More data are needed to support the adequacy of the present and possibly even higher recommended vitamin D daily intakes.

Key Words: Vitamin D • infants • children

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. C Looker, C. M Pfeiffer, D. A Lacher, R. L Schleicher, M. F. Picciano, and E. A Yetley Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status of the US population: 1988-1994 compared with 2000-2004 Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2008; 88(6): 1519 - 1527. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. N. Taylor, C. L. Wagner, and B. W. Hollis Vitamin D Supplementation during Lactation to Support Infant and Mother J. Am. Coll. Nutr., December 1, 2008; 27(6): 690 - 701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. L. Wagner, F. R. Greer, and and the Section on Breastfeeding and Committee on Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents Pediatrics, November 1, 2008; 122(5): 1142 - 1152. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Misra, D. Pacaud, A. Petryk, P. F. Collett-Solberg, M. Kappy, and on behalf of the Drug and Therapeutics Committee o Vitamin D Deficiency in Children and Its Management: Review of Current Knowledge and Recommendations Pediatrics, August 1, 2008; 122(2): 398 - 417. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Dawodu and C. L Wagner Mother-child vitamin D deficiency: an international perspective Arch. Dis. Child., September 1, 2007; 92(9): 737 - 740. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S H Dijkstra, A van Beek, J W Janssen, L H M de Vleeschouwer, W A Huysman, and E L T van den Akker High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in newborn infants of high-risk mothers Arch. Dis. Child., September 1, 2007; 92(9): 750 - 753. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A Camargo Jr, S. L Rifas-Shiman, A. A Litonjua, J. W Rich-Edwards, S. T Weiss, D. R Gold, K. Kleinman, and M. W Gillman Maternal intake of vitamin D during pregnancy and risk of recurrent wheeze in children at 3 y of age Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, March 1, 2007; 85(3): 788 - 795. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C S Zipitis, G A Markides, and I L Swann Vitamin D deficiency: prevention or treatment? Arch. Dis. Child., December 1, 2006; 91(12): 1011 - 1014. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Primary vitamin D deficiency in children DTB, February 1, 2006; 44(2): 12 - 16. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Seeman and G. J. Strewler Clinical and Basic Research Papers - December 2004 Selections IBMS BoneKEy, January 1, 2005; 2(1): 1 - 5. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J Raiten and M. F. Picciano Vitamin D and health in the 21st century: bone and beyond. Executive summary Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2004; 80(6): 1673S - 1677S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]