Low Vitamin D Tied to Anemia Risk in Kids

Children with low levels of vitamin D may be at increased risk for anemia, according to a large new study.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from more than 10,400 children and found that vitamin D levels were consistently lower in youngsters with anemia, a condition involving lower-than-normal levels of red blood cells.

Kids with vitamin D levels below 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) were nearly twice as likely to have anemia as those with normal vitamin D levels.

Children with vitamin D levels below 30 ng/ml have mild vitamin D deficiency while those with levels at or below 20 ng/ml have severe deficiency, according to the study. Both require treatment with vitamin D supplements.

The researchers also found that 14 percent of black children had anemia, much higher than the 2 percent rate among white children. Black children also had lower vitamin D levels overall, but their anemia risk did not rise until their vitamin D levels were far lower than those of white children.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_141788.html