Vitamin D in the healthy European paediatric population.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to summarize data on vitamin D intake and deficiency in healthy European children, discuss its health benefits, and provide recommendations for preventing deficiency, with a focus on its role in calcium metabolism.
Results Summary
Vitamin D is essential for calcium and phosphate metabolism and bone health, but evidence for other health benefits in children is insufficient. Deficiency is common, especially in high-risk groups like breast-fed infants and obese children.
Population
Healthy European infants, children, and adolescents, particularly high-risk groups (e.g., breast-fed infants, dark-skinned individuals in northern countries, those with inadequate sun exposure, obese children).
Effective Dosage
400 IU/day for infants; supplementation beyond 1 year for high-risk groups.
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
vitamin D supplementation | neutral | calcium and phosphate metabolism | - | - | plays a key role | #1 |
vitamin D supplementation | neutral | bone health | - | - | is essential for | #2 |
vitamin D supplementation | no change | other health benefits | infants, children, and adolescents | insufficient evidence | insufficient evidence to support | #3 |
oral supplementation of 400 IU/day of vitamin D | increase | vitamin D status | infants | 400 IU/day | should receive | #4 |
oral supplementation of vitamin D | increase | vitamin D status | children in risk groups beyond 1 year of age | - | must be considered | #5 |
healthy lifestyle with varied diet and adequate outdoor activities | increase | vitamin D status | healthy children and adolescents | - | should be encouraged | #6 |
In recent years, reports suggesting a resurgence of vitamin D deficiency in the Western world, combined with various proposed health benefits for vitamin D supplementation, have resulted in increased interest from health care professionals, the media, and the public. The aim of this position paper is to summarise the published data on vitamin D intake and prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the healthy European paediatric population, to discuss the health benefits of vitamin D and to provide recommendations for the prevention of vitamin D deficiency in this population. Vitamin D plays a key role in calcium and phosphate metabolism and is essential for bone health. There is insufficient evidence from interventional studies to support vitamin D supplementation for other health benefits in infants, children, and adolescents. The pragmatic use of a serum concentration >50 nmol/L to indicate sufficiency and a serum concentration <25 nmol/L to indicate severe deficiency is recommended. Vitamin D deficiency occurs commonly among healthy European infants, children, and adolescents, especially in certain risk groups, including breast-fed infants, not adhering to the present recommendation for vitamin D supplementation, children and adolescents with dark skin living in northern countries, children and adolescents without adequate sun exposure, and obese children. Infants should receive an oral supplementation of 400 IU/day of vitamin D. The implementation should be promoted and supervised by paediatricians and other health care professionals. Healthy children and adolescents should be encouraged to follow a healthy lifestyle associated with a normal body mass index, including a varied diet with vitamin D-containing foods (fish, eggs, dairy products) and adequate outdoor activities with associated sun exposure. For children in risk groups identified above, an oral supplementation of vitamin D must be considered beyond 1 year of age. National authorities should adopt policies aimed at improving vitamin D status using measures such as dietary recommendations, food fortification, vitamin D supplementation, and judicious sun exposure, depending on local circumstances.