Vitamin in milk offers way to help children

By ANGELA GREGORY

Food such as milk may have to be fortified with vitamin D because New Zealand children, particularly Pacific Island girls, are not getting enough sunlight.

Indications are the Government will likely approve this year the mandatory fortification of bread with folate to reduce the risk of spina bifida babies.

An Otago University researcher says food may eventually need to be fortified with vitamin D because many New Zealand schoolchildren have sub-optimal amounts required to absorb calcium for healthy bones.

Dr Tim Green, of the human nutrition department, said results of research into vitamin D levels, which formed part of the National Children's Nutritional Study, were cause for concern.

He said the research released yesterday of 3000 children showed 4 per cent were deficient in vitamin D which could lead to rickets, and 31 per cent had insufficient levels which could lead to long-term health problems such as osteoporosis.

Among the Pacific Island group 14 per cent indicated a deficiency and 72 per cent an insufficiency.

The results also showed that obese children were at greater risk from sub-optimal vitamin D.

Dr Green said the study showed the problem was worst among Pacific Island girls, partly because darker skin needed more sunlight to make vitamin D.

But he said spending more time out in the sun, or not using sunscreen which prevented sunlight being turned into vitamin D, was at odds with the health initiative to prevent skin cancer.

The alternatives appeared to be taking supplements or fortification of food, he said.

Some countries, including the United States and Canada, had fortified milk with vitamin D and Dr Green said New Zealand's vitamin D deficiencies were worse.

It might prove necessary to supplement food with vitamin D but Dr Green wanted more information as to how deficiencies related to other adverse effects on bone health.

Dr Green said early indicators were that older groups also had low vitamin D levels.

"The elderly are more likely to be homebound, use sunblock products and they are less efficient in converting vitamin D absorbed into the skin into active vitamin D."

A Ministry of Health spokesman said yesterday that there would be no comment on vitamin D fortification of food until the research was received.

The ministry would, however, soon discuss a policy on the addition to flour of folic acid which in the United States had led to a 20 per cent reduction in neural tube defects in newborns.

Essential vitamin

* Vitamin D is vital to help the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, which are needed to build and maintain bone.

* A shortage of the vitamin can cause childhood rickets - soft or deformed bones - and osteoporosis in later life.

* The body produces most of its own vitamin D in skin exposed to ultraviolet light. Dietary sources include oily fish such as salmon and tuna, egg yolk, meat from organs and muscles, and full-fat milk.