Vitamin D is essential for everyone, but especially for growing children. Unfortunately, many children are not getting enough vitamin D, and the problem seems to worsen as they age.

According to 2009-2014 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) on children under the age of 18 in the United States, 93% had vitamin D levels below 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L), with 16% of them below 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L). That data is charted below next to data on children in the GrassrootsHealth cohort, among whom over 50% are still below the recommended 40 ng/ml, regardless of the fact that the parents testing their children through the project are educated enough about vitamin D to be measuring levels on their own.

In a past analysis of vitamin D intake and levels among children in the GrassrootsHealth cohort, we discovered that as the age of the children increased, the percent of participants with levels at or above 40 ng/ml decreased, from about two-thirds for those 0-4 years to about one-third for those 13-17 years. We also found that, while vitamin D intake should increase as body weight increases, intake remained the same or decreased as age increased, which is likely the main cause of the decreasing vitamin D levels with age.

As with adults, it is essential to measure the vitamin D level in order to determine an appropriate daily dose of vitamin D needed to reach a target level. If waiting for results, or if testing is not an option, one way to calculate an approximate dose is by using the average requirement of about 35 IU of vitamin D per pound of body weight (75 IU/kg) per day, from all sources. For example, a child weighing 60 pounds may need approximately 2100 IU of vitamin D per day. A supplement of 2000 IU per day could be enough for such a child who gets a moderate amount of vitamin D from sunshine exposure, or if some is obtained through their diet.

However, vitamin D testing should be done at least annually with children as well as with adults to determine an appropriate supplement amount for maintaining their target vitamin D level and ensure they are getting enough (and not too much) vitamin D.

Current available data suggests that avoiding or correcting vitamin D deficiency at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic may improve outcomes overall. 

Having and maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D and other important nutrients can help improve your health now and for your future. Choose which to measure, such as your vitamin D, omega-3s and 6s, and essential minerals magnesium, selenium, and zinc, by creating your custom home test kit today.  Take steps to improve the status of each of these measurements to benefit your overall health. You can also track your own intakes, symptoms and results to see what works best for YOU.

Enroll and test your levels today, learn what steps to take to improve your status of vitamin D (see below) and other nutrients and blood markers, and take action! By enrolling in the GrassrootsHealth projects, you are not only contributing valuable information to everyone, you are also gaining knowledge about how you could improve your own health through measuring and tracking your nutrient status, and educating yourself on how to improve it.

Help everyone Move Research into Practice with vitamin D and other nutrients! As a special birthday gift to everyone, in honor of the science, we have created a special scholarship fund for anyone to donate to that will go towards helping others participate. Your donation will allow anyone to get help with funding their participation when they need it.

Be sure to educate yourself on the benefits and importance of vitamin D for immune health, and take steps to ensure you and your loved ones are getting enough.

You can review all of the COVID-19 and immune health information shared by GrassrootsHealth on this page.

Don't get stuck with low vitamin D levels - learn more about what might affect your level and response to supplementation, and the steps to take through each season to keep levels in your target range.

Have a beautiful and HEALTHY day.

Onwards,