Govt hospitals to make it mandatory to provide Vitamin D supplements to kids

“The prevalence of children born with the deficiency of Vitamin D in the State is increasing even though the State receives good amount of sunlight throughout the year. As we found the trend elevating, we have started giving liquid supplements to children up to the age of one to ensure they do not become deficient in Vitamin D,” said Dr Mohan Kumar, paediatrician, Institute of Child Health.

According to doctors, Vitamin D helps in better absorption of calcium and regulates blood pressure inthe body. The kidneys act as the main receptor to absorb adequate Vitamin D and helps lower blood pressure and reduces the chance of developinghypertension.

“Though the liquid supplements for new-borns have not been made mandatory yet, the increasing trend of Vitamin D deficiency among the children stresses the need for a compulsory programme. While lack of exposure to sunlight is one issue, several studies state that Vitamin D receptors in the human body might not be enough. Hence, it’s essential for pregnant mothers to get their Vitamin D levels checked during pregnancy to prevent their child from having Vitamin deficiency,” said Dr Preethi Raj, nutritionist, Thirumala Nutrition Foundation.

Even a recent study at John Hopkin’s University in the US stated that Vitamin D deficiency could be a root cause to various health ailments including high blood pressure being one among them. According to a recent study performed by the university, children with Vitamin D deficiency from birth to early childhood are at an increased risk of high blood pressure during adolescence.

The study followed up on more than 750 children from birth to the age of 18. It was found that children born with low levels of Vitamin D had a 60 per cent higher risk of hypertension between the age of 6-18.

Kids with consistently low levels of Vitamin D through early childhood had double the risk of hypertension between the ages 3-18, the study found.