An increasing deficiency of Vitamin D detected in babies could put their lives in danger, two recent Israeli studies show. Vitamin D deficiency has also been detected in young athletes and pregnant women.
The studies’ findings could lead the Health Ministry to change its policy and hold regular examinations measuring Vitamin D levels, especially in specific population groups.
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A study presented yesterday at the annual gathering of the Israel Society for Clinical Pediatrics details the story of a baby born about a year ago at the hospital, weighing 3.98 kilograms, who developed convulsions seven days later.
He was diagnosed with a Vitamin D level of 9.4 nanograms per milliliter, about one third of the recommended level. During the pregnancy, the mother had complained of bone pains. Extremely low levels of Vitamin D were found in her blood after the birth.
Another baby also born around that time in Hadassah, weighing 2.92 kilograms, started convulsing at five days old. His level of Vitamin D was measured at 5.64 nanograms per milliliter; his mother was also found to have deficient levels.
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin naturally present in very few foods and obtained mainly from sun exposure. The two babies’ convulsions stopped and they recovered after receiving a Vitamin D additive of 2,000 international units a day, as well as calcium.
“Israel is a sunny country with a good health care system for pregnant women and babies, but Vitamin D is not usually offered during pregnancy,” the study says, warning that the findings are merely the tip of the iceberg. The study calls on the Health Ministry to observe the Vitamin D recommendations for pregnant women.
Another study headed by Dr. Gal Dubnov-Raz from Safra Children’s Hospital at the Sheba Medical Center, analyzed Vitamin D tests administered to 92 teenage athletes and dancers treated at Hadassah’s sports center.
The examinations revealed that the Vitamin D deficiency suffered by the athletes exposed them to bone and muscle development disorders, heart diseases and even cancer.
Three quarters of the teenagers were diagnosed as having a Vitamin D deficiency of 15-30 units, and 6.5 percent were diagnosed with less than 15 units. Some 80 percent of the teenagers training regularly indoors were found to have deficient levels, but that same was true for 43 percent of those training outdoors.
“Iron deficiency together with Vitamin D deficiency damages teenagers’ mental and physical function,” says Dubnov-Raz. “Before young athletes go for muscle-building protein and creatine powders, they should improve their nutrition and levels of iron and Vitamin D.”
Medical literature has reported a worldwide Vitamin D deficiency in recent years, even in sunny countries like Israel.
Studies conducted at the Rambam Medical Center found a Vitamin D deficiency among the ultra-Orthodox, who wear long heavy clothing, along with high-tech workers who spend most of the day indoors.
The Health Ministry is considering holding routine Vitamin D examinations, especially for specific groups, such as pregnant women, a ministry spokesman said. So far there is no such sweeping recommendation anywhere in the world today, he said.
At present, the ministry recommends merely “appropriate nutrition for pregnant women, who should consult a doctor and a dietician about food additives.”
The ministry already recommends giving babies Vitamin D and giving food additives to nursing home patients, and it is also updating regulations for food additives, the spokesman said.
In addition, a compulsory standard for Vitamin D enrichment will soon be introduced, which will apply to all milk beverages, no only low fat milk, as practiced today, he said.
story by Dan Evan
