title: Vitamin D in Children's Health.
abstract: Knowledge of vitamin D in the health of children has grown greatly over the years, extending past the importance for calcium homeostasis and bone growth. There is growing recognition of the role vitamin D plays in health impacting the innate immune system to prevent infections and the adaptive immune system to modulate autoimmunity. Other studies are starting to reveal the neurohormonal effects of vitamin D on brain development and behavior, with a link to mental health disorders. Many of these effects start well before the birth of the child, so it is important that each pregnant woman be assessed for vitamin D deficiency and supplemented for the best possible health outcome of the child. It is recommended that targeting a 25(OH)D level of 40-70 ng/mL for each individual would provide optimal health benefits and reduce health care costs. Current recommended doses of vitamin D supplementation fall short of what is needed to obtain ideal serum levels. A vitamin D supplementation program to prevent disease, much like the current vaccination program, could potentially have a dramatic impact on overall health worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 4004 Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. jweydert@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Joy A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Weydert
keywords: autism; cancer; economic impact; immune system; mental health; pain; pregnancy; vitamin D