When do We Supplement Vitamin D for our Infants and Kids?

I’ve been reading a lot lately about vitamin D. It all started with a long and informative ongoing chat on my celiac forum support group. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned through the group and also my own research in the hopes that it could be a bit beneficial for folks implementing a dairy free or low dairy diet for their child’s neurological, immunological, or digestive disorders.

I want to preface by saying that I am leery about over supplementation in general. It seems like Vitamin D is turning out to be the fad supplement of choice these days, kind of like vitamin C was in the 70s and 80s when Linus Pauling touted mega doses. Both he and his wife eventually died of cancer. Now a recent study reveals a cancer link to C. So much for the immune boosting factors of C, right? [1].

This made me wonder if they would be publishing similar studies about D in another twenty or thirty years. But I quickly learned that D is another kettle of fish altogether. Suzanne Somers warns about D deficiencies in her newest book, Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness. Many of the doctors she interviews warn that a D deficiency can be very detrimental on the immune system. For example, Dr. Bill Faloon tells us,

“We know that if we take in enough vitamin D, we’re going to control our genes in such a way that we’re less likely to get cancer, and we’re less likely to suffer a lot of age-related problems” [2].

A severe vitamin D deficiency in adults will cause osteomalacia and in children will cause rickets. Individuals with milder deficiencies might suffer from a burning sensation in their mouth and throat, weight loss, a loss of appetite, vision problems, diarrhea and insomnia, all symptoms that can be attributed to other things. As recently as this week I also read an article saying that pediatricians now want kids to double their D intake to 400 IU a day [3]. So the question seems to be how much and not whether or not we should supplement.

Most medical establishments warn that Vitamin D supplements are not something that you want to do naively, as it is a fat soluble vitamin that has known toxicity factors. So what’s fact? What’s fiction? And what is the proper supplemental amount for a kid who’s not drinking milk? I did some digging and this is what I’ve learned.

First of all, our bodies make vitamin D just by being exposed to direct sunlight (not through a car window or on an overcast day); in the summer months it will store excess amounts in our fat to use for the darker winter months. I remember learning from a former doctor years ago that just 15 minutes a day in the sun was adequate. But this is simply not true for everyone. I have since learned that exposure can be hindered by a number of factors, number one being sun screen [4]. Other very significant factors are geographic locations. Anyone living in Chicago or north of it is going to be vitamin D deficient based on latitude from November through February [5]. Furthermore, I also found out that skin pigment plays a role in absorption too. Darker complected folks are more deficient than lighter skinned folks, especially those living in colder climates with less sunlight. But our bodies are pretty efficient and can quickly produce vitamin D even in a few minutes of direct sunlight, as we walk out the door and to our car. Article continues on next page…

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The editor of Healthy-family.org has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.