As the parent of a teenager, you want to ensure that your teen is healthy and has adequate intake of all essential nutrients. Since your teen attains adult height during these years, a sufficient intake of vitamin D at this age is especially critical, because this fat-soluble vitamin plays a vital role in building and maintaining healthy bones. When vitamin D intake is sufficient, the body is able to absorb more calcium and deposit the calcium on bones, making them dense and strong.
Teenage Vitamin D Status
In March 2009, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College reported that 1 out of 7 American teens is deficient in vitamin D. More recently, a April 2011 article in "Science Daily" cites a study on obese adolescents that found 100 percent of the girls and 91 percent of the boys studied had low vitamin D levels. Similarly, a June 2011 study that examined relationships between vitamin D levels and body fat distribution in children of different racial backgrounds found that the majority of the children in the study were deficient in vitamin D. Getting your teens screened for vitamin D during routine medical check-ups will determine their vitamin D status and may also prevent other medical conditions associated with its deficiency.
Consequences of Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency causes osteomalacia in teens and adults, resulting in soft bones because bone mineralization is affected. Over time, this may lead to osteopenia or low bone mass, and can ultimately cause osteoporosis, by which time bones become brittle and are more susceptible to fractures. A similar condition of soft bones in young children with vitamin D deficiency causes rickets. Additionally, vitamin D deficiency in adults is associated with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and immune dysfunction.
Vitamin D Needs for Teens
The Institute of Medicine has the set the daily-recommended dietary allowance of 600 international units of vitamin D for teens. Unfortunately, teenagers are not getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D and the reported intake of vitamin D by teens is only 400 international units. The Children's Hospital Boston reports that 1 out of 5 teenage boys and 1 out of 4 teenage girls are not meeting their needs for vitamin D, which can negatively affect their bone health as they grow older.
Getting your Vitamin D
The best way for you to get vitamin D is by being outdoors in the sun. For most teenagers, spending as little as 10 to 15 minutes in the sun is sufficient to start the process that produces vitamin D in the body. Foods that are natural sources of vitamin D are fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, shrimp and mackerel. Other sources that you can include in your diet are fortified milk and milk products, breakfast cereals and orange juice. However, if your blood vitamin D levels are low, or you live in the northern United States or Canada, where exposure to sunlight is limited, your doctor may recommend vitamin D supplements.
References
- KidsHealth.org; Teens Health; Vitamin D
- Children's Hospital Boston; Center for Young Women's Health; Vitamin D
- Weill Cornell Medical College; 1 in 7 U.S. teens is Vitamin D Deficient; March 2009
- Institute of Medicine; DRIs for Calcium and Vitamin D; November 2010
- "Science Daily"; Obese Adolescents Lacking Vitamin D, Study Suggests; April 2011
- "Science Daily"; Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with Different Types of Obesity in Black and White Children; June 2011
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