The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a new report claiming that 25 percent of American children between the ages of 1 and 11 are Vitamin D deficient.
Once thought of as the “sun” vitamin, today’s kids are getting far less Vitamin D from natural sunlight than in the past as concerns about the danger of sun exposure have grown. Most doctors recommend that children spend no longer than 15 minutes in the sun today without some sort of protection. Although these recommendations will hopefully keep our kids safe from the ultra violet rays that cause skin cancer - they are negatively impacting their Vitamin D intake.
In recent years, a slew of studies has shown that Vitamin D is important to our immune system, can help in the prevention of childhood diabetes and cancer and has been linked to preventing stress fractures in adolescents. Even without using the sun as a primary source, Vitamin D is found in a number of foods including fortified milk and cheese products, tuna, salmon, eggs and fortified orange juices and cereals.
According to Andrew Calabria, M.D., pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, however, certain higher risk children will require additional supplementation. Those at greater risk for Vitamin D Deficiency include dark-skinned children, overweight children, and exclusively breastfed infants.
Given how easy it is to intake Vitamin D today, it is both alarming and unnecessary for a full 25% of young American kids to be deficient. Hopefully as parents become more aware of the vitamin’s importance and the various options for consuming it, we can keep our kids healthy!
January is here and that means New Year’s cheer, new resolutions and of course for dwellers in the Northern Hemisphere –winter! Some of us welcome the opportunity to dive into all of this season’s fun taking advantage of whatever Mother Nature throws our way --be it snowballs, or freshly powdered mountains.
Others of us prefer to hibernate on the couch with a cup of hot steaming cocoa and wait for the return of spring before willingly venturing outside again. Whether you are a cold weather enthusiast or more akin to a bear in a deep sleep, there is no question that in the dead of winter, we are all exposed to less sunlight, and as a result, our bodies are producing less Vitamin D.
Here’s what we know about Vitamin D and why our bodies need it stay healthy. Not only is it an essential immune system regulator - think common cold prevention, but recent studies have shown that children who are Vitamin D deficient are at risk for a number of far more serious problems.
First Lady Michelle Obama recently declared an obesity epidemic in the US, and has launched a major initiative against childhood obesity.
The latest research shows that overweight children are far more likely to suffer from Vitamin D deficiencies than their normal weight counterparts. (Parents: skipping breakfast and drinking sodas were also strongly correlated with low levels of the vitamin).
If that news wasn’t enough to give you pause, a new British study linked Vitamin D deficiency with increased severity and frequency of childhood asthma symptoms. Without this vitamin, our children can’t breathe—literally.
So while the sun catches up with the other side of the world, let us know how you plan take to advantage of these winter months to have fun and stay healthy.
A probiotic supplement is Anlit's latest new product for children. The supplement, which enhances the health of the immune and digestive systems, was developed in close cooperation with Danisco, a food ingredient company now part of Dupont.
Like many of Anlit's products, the supplement is shaped like a small, bite-size teddy bear and has a vanilla flavor. The active ingredient is HOWARU, a probiotic formulation developed by Danisco.
“We are very proud to co-develop with Danisco a high-value and healthy probiotic product for children,” says Shai Karlinski, vice president of sales and marketing at Anlit. “This move is in line with our mission to build up a market for our supplements for children and become a leading manufacture in this market."
The market for products boosting the immune system is growing, with supplements containing probiotics leading the trend, according to Innova Market Insights. This is partly due to rising fears about a global influenza epidemic.
Anlit's new supplements contains two of the most popular and highly researched types of probiotics -- lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium. Both strains of probiotics promote the growth of helpful bacteria in the digestive systems, which, in turn, also enhances the immune system and overall health.
The new supplements is certified kosher and contains no artificial flavors or colors.
