Did You Know?

High Vitamin D Deficiency Noted in Teens

August 2009

One in seven American adolescents is vitamin D deficient, says a new study. Cornell Medical College researchers used a new definition of vitamin D deficiency whereby the minimum acceptable serum vitamin D level has been increased from 11 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) to at least 20 ng/mL. The raised level means that an alarming one in seven teens, and 50% of African-American teens, are vitamin D deficient. Moreover, girls and overweight teens had twice the risk of deficiency compared with boys and their normal-weight counterparts, respectively. "These are alarming findings," said Dr. Sandy Saintonge. "To meet minimum nutritional requirements teens would need to consume at least four glasses of fortified milk daily or its dietary equivalent. Other foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, tuna, eggs and fortified cereals. A vitamin supplement containing 400 IU of vitamin D is another alternative."

Pediatrics 123(3):797–803, 2009

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