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Study: Majority of infants do not receive enough vitamin D

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Most infants are not receiving enough vitamin D and should be given nutrient supplements to compensate for the deficiency, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service had found.

In the study, researchers from the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity analyzed data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, which was conducted between 2005 and 2007. They discovered that among infants under the age of 10.5 months who were breastfed exclusively, only 5 to 13 percent received the recommended daily amount of 400 IU of vitamin D per day.

To the surprise of the research team, just 9 to 14 percent of infants who were breastfed but who also received formula were found to be receiving a insufficient amount of the nutrient each day. For infants fed exclusively with formula, approximately 25 percent were getting the recommended daily amounts of the nutrient.

"This study suggests that parents are unaware of the need for vitamin D supplementation in infants and other studies show the same for older children," said professional nutritionist Samantha Heller, quoted by Health Day News.