Rickets on the Rise due to Lack of Vitamin D
Insufficient amounts of vitamin D in pregnant women and young children are to blame for a spike in a disease thought to be irradiated over a century ago. Rickets, a disease that causes soft and deformed bones due to severe deficiencies of vitamin D in very young children, has been on a comeback in recent years. The Center for Disease Control estimates that nine of every million babies age six months to one year were hospitalized for rickets in the 1990s.
“It's a resurrection of a disease that we thought we conquered 100 years ago," said Dr. Michael Holick, of the Boston University School of Medicine. Holick attributes the increase to a combination of people not getting enough sunlight and the fact that more women are breastfeeding.
The two main sources of vitamin D are sunlight and fortified milk and formulas. But most parents slather their babies and themselves with sunscreen, and breast milk typically doesn't have enough vitamin D. Holick warns, “This may have serious health implications."
Without vitamin D, growing bones can't absorb calcium, and they become deformed which stunts growth. Beyond childhood, too little vitamin D can weaken bones and cause muscle pain.
Rickets Make Troubling Comback, Alarm New Parents-CBS 4 Boston
Rickets Make a Comback-CBS News
