It's an often overlooked problem that may affect millions of U.S. adolescents. Often undetected and untreated, vitamin D deficiency puts them at risk for stunted growth and debilitating osteoporosis later in life. Youngsters in northern cities with less intense year-round sunlight are especially prone to vitamin D deficiency, as are blacks and other dark-skinned ethnic groups whose pigmented skin doesn't absorb sunlight as easily as whites.
Very few doctors actually do the blood test for vitamin D. Unfortunately, youngsters suffering from vitamin D deficiency often don't have symptoms until it has advanced to the point of causing fractures or rickets, a bone-weakening disease that doctors think may be on the rise. One of the nation?s leading vitamin D experts, Dr. Hollick, believes that as many as one-third of youngsters are deficient in vitamin D.
It is important to understand that at this time of year the sun is becoming a progressively less important source of vitamin D and the time is coming to switch over to cod liver oil, which contains natural vitamin D. I was going to start carrying the cod liver oil capsules on my site for convenience, but when I examined the dosages of vitamin A, I was concerned that it was too high. This is true even for the Carlson brand.
So if you are taking cod liver oil, I really advise taking the liquid Carlson cod liver oil. I hope that Carlson will provide the same product as a capsule version early next year.
Yahoo News August 31, 2003