Posted Jan 9, 2012
Parents should make sure their children play outside often and spend less time in front of the television or computer, advised Ulrich Fegeler, spokesman for Germany’s Professional Association of Children’s and Young People’s Physicians.
“Among other things, outdoor exercise is important for the production of vitamin D, which is necessary for proper bone mineral density,” he said, noting that vitamin D was a natural component of very few foods. “The body produces about 90 per cent of the vitamin with the help of sunlight on the skin.”
In particular, girls aged 11 to 13 years and boys aged 14 to 17 years are believed to have a deficiency of vitamin D. British paediatricians have observed that teenagers whose mothers insist they engage in more activities outdoors spend less time in front of a TV or computer.
But those whose parents are more permissive regarding television and computer use have a five-fold greater risk of sitting in front of an electronic screen in excess of four hours daily.
Between October and March in many parts of the world, there is generally too little ultraviolet-B radiation from sunlight for the body to photosynthesize sufficient amounts of vitamin D in the skin. A body that has stored vitamin D during the summer months, however, can draw on it for several months in the winter. Vitamin D levels are therefore usually lowest in February in several countries.
“Adolescents should enjoy the sun moderately at least three to four times a week for 15 to 30 minutes – or better, daily for at least 10 to 15 minutes,” Fegeler said. That means being outdoors with partially exposed skin. Uncovered hands, forearms and face are enough.
On the basis of new findings, the nutrition commission of the German Society of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ) has increased its recommended vitamin D intake. In future not only babies but all children and adolescents in Germany should receive additional vitamin D, for example as a dietary supplement or in the form of tablets.
Editor’s note: In the United States the RDA is 400 IU/day for infants and 600 IU/day for those 1 to 70. Those over 70 should get 800 IU of vitamin D per day.