Growing Vitamin D deficiency in children in the Country

A recent study found that vitamin D deficiency is on the rise among children growing up in the country. Nationally, almost one in four people aged 10-19 is diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently submitted to Parliament the review report undertaken in collaboration with UNICEF. According to the report, 13.8 percent of children under the age of 4 were found to be vitamin D deficient. 

The defect was found in 18.2 percent of children aged 5-9 years. Vitamin D is extremely important for bone growth and muscle strength. Vitamin D helps in boosting the immune system. The presence of this defect in children growing up in the country is a matter of concern. Vitamin D level in Telangana is somewhat satisfactory. The highest error states are Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar while Tamil Nadu has the lowest. Medical experts recommend staying in the sun for 15 minutes every day along with a balanced diet for vitamin D for the body.