Hyderabad: While lack of exposure to sunlight was one of the major reasons for low vitamin D in children, the present guidelines by the Indian Council of Medical Research for children in India are not based on the domestic data, said Indian Academy of Paediatrics.
The daily intake of 400 to 1000 IU and 600 to 1000 IU vitamin D by children less than one year and up to 18 years age are not for Indian children.
The guidelines of the US Endocrine Society would help the children in the West but would not address the deficiency among the Indian children. Vitamin D recommended in the western guidelines are based on their local data. But there is no such data in India.
A senior paediatrician, on condition of anonymity, said, “The guidelines given by ICMR for the Indian children are inappropriate for various reasons. Clinical outcomes have shown that similar oral dosing of vitamin D concentration has not had the desired effect on the Indian children.”
Recent studies on children in India suggested that oral doses of up to 2000 IU/day are barely able to maintain vitamin D sufficiency.
In another study, a dose of 60,000 IU (monthly or bi-monthly) achieved vitamin D sufficient status in only 47 per cent girls at the end of one year. While the current recommended does are 400 and 600 IU per day, the studies have shown that it does not work for the Indian children.
Paediatricians stated that there have been several studies which showed that vitamin D concentration improves if it is taken together with calcium. The compliance must be adhered to and it is found that absorption of calcium and vitamin D is better.
Dr P. Chandra Shekar, a senior paediatrician, said, “We do not have the data but clinical experience showed that such high levels will not work until and unless substituted with calcium and that must be followed so that the deficiency can be reduced.”
