YOU Docs Daily
Vitamin D3 Could Knock Out Flu, Colds, Childhood Obesity, and Heart Disease
Want healthy kids? Then cold or not, if it's sunny today, send 'em outside to play. It'll get their bodies moving (and give you a break). It'll also give kids a shot at getting enough sunshine for their skin to make flu- and cold-fighting vitamin D3. That's tough in winter if you live above the line from Atlanta to Los Angeles, but no harm in trying. Help it along when they come back in: Give them some cocoa made with D-fortified, no-fat milk. Repeat daily. And make canned salmon and tuna menu regulars. Both are good sources of vitamin D3.
Why is vitamin D3 so important for healthy kids? For one, kids who are low on D3 (many are) tend to gain weight, especially around their waist -- the riskiest place for their health (and yours) because belly fat threatens so many organs. (The easiest way to prevent childhood obesity? Turn this off.) Also, D3 fights viral infections in school kids. If they get enough, maybe all of you can sail through the cold and flu season.
There's another, more disturbing reason vitamin D3 is so imperative: A new report on kids at risk for heart trouble revealed that 20% of kids with signs of hardening arteries -- yes, kids with hardening arteries -- were low in vitamin D3. This was surprising, but maybe it shouldn't have been. Many studies have linked low D3 in adults to loads of cardiovascular trouble, from high blood pressure to stroke. The reverse is also true: Healthy levels of D3 reduce heart threats. Find out why heart disease isn't just for grown-ups anymore.
http://www.med.umkc.edu/research/documents/Cheraghi.pdfGet your kids tested for vitamin D3 if you haven't already, and talk to your pediatrician about D3 supplements. Like 75% of adults, a lot of kids need 'em, especially in winter. The usual recommendation is 400 IU a day, but age and size matter. (For adults, we recommend 1,000 IU; 1,200 after age 60.) Then when you get home, send 'em out to play.
