How Much Vitamin D Should A 16 Year Old Boy Take

Vitamin D deficiency in children can have adverse health consequences, such as growth failure and rickets. In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics increased its recommended daily intake of vitamin D in infants, children, and adolescents to 400 IU. Infants who are breastfed and children and adolescents who consume less than 1 L of vitamin D–fortified milk per day will likely need supplementation to reach 400 IU of vitamin D per day. This recommendation is based on expert opinion and recent clinical trials measuring biomarkers of vitamin D status. It is also based on the precedent of preventing and treating rickets with 400 IU of vitamin D. In addition to dietary sources, exposure to ultraviolet B sunlight provides children and adults with additional vitamin D.

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping infants out of direct sunlight, decreased sunlight exposure may increase children's risk of vitamin D deficiency. No randomized controlled trials assessing patient-oriented outcomes have been performed on universal vitamin D supplementation. However, vitamin D may reduce the risk of certain infections and chronic diseases. Physicians should help parents choose the appropriate vitamin D supplement for their child. Although more supplementation studies are needed, ensuring vitamin D adequacy throughout childhood and adolescence seems prudent.

The Linus Pauling Institute recommends that adolescents aged 14 to 18 years should have a daily intake of 600 to 1,000 IU (15 to 25 μg) of vitamin D, consistent with the recommendations of the Endocrine Society . According to the Endocrine Society, at least 600 IU/day may be required to maximize bone health, and 1,000 IU/day may be needed to increase serum levels above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) . Given the average vitamin D content of the diets of adolescents, supplementation may be necessary to meet this recommendation. Many people may not be meeting the minimum requirement for the vitamin.

NHANES data found that the median intake of vitamin D from food and supplements in women ages 51 to 71 years was 308 IU daily, but only 140 IU from food alone . Worldwide, an estimated 1 billion people have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood, and deficiencies can be found in all ethnicities and age groups. [2-4] In industrialized countries, doctors are seeing the resurgence of rickets, the bone-weakening disease that had been largely eradicated through vitamin D fortification. [5-7] There is scientific debate about how much vitamin D people need each day and what the optimal serum levels should be to prevent disease. The Institute of Medicine released in November 2010 recommendations increasing the daily vitamin D intake for children and adults in the U.S. and Canada, to 600 IU per day. The report also increased the upper limit from 2,000 to 4,000 IU per day.

Since that time, new evidence has supported other benefits of consuming an adequate amount of vitamin D, although there is still not consensus on the amount considered to be adequate. You can also get vitamin D from egg yolks, oily fish such as salmon, tuna, and sardines, and fortified foods like milk, soy milk, and orange juice.Teens need 15 micrograms of vitamin D from food or supplements every day. Ask your doctor if supplements are right for you.Vitamin EVitamin E is an antioxidant and helps protect cells from damage. It is also important for the health of red blood cells.Vitamin E is found in many foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and green leafy vegetables.

It's also added to some breakfast cereals.Teens should get 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily.Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 is important for normal brain and nerve function. It helps maintain healthy skin and is important for nerve function.You'll find niacin in red meat, poultry, fish, fortified hot and cold cereals, and peanuts.Teen guys need 16 mg of niacin daily. It is also needed to make DNA.Liver, dried beans and other legumes, green leafy vegetables, asparagus, and orange juice are good sources of this vitamin. So are fortified bread, rice, and cereals.Teen girls and guys need 400 micrograms of folate daily.

Exposure to sunlight is the natural way for acquiring adequate vitamin D levels, while food intake provides some 10% of the daily needs. There is a need to encourage short sun exposure, outdoor sport and leisure activities, and a vitamin D-rich diet including foods with natural vitamin D. The risk of harmful UVB effects is small as long as time exposure is not excessive. However, there is growing concern over the irradiation doses accumulated in the skin as a causal factor in skin cancer.

There needs to be a renewed appreciation of the beneficial effect of moderate sunlight in providing all humans with the vitamin D needed for good health. Female adolescents in particular are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. Additionally, being underweight is also risk factor for vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, malnutrition should be corrected and vitamin D supplementation should be administered in underweight young people. Fish and milk intake of students during youth is insufficient and daily amount of Ca they consume does not meet the recommended daily amount.

As a result, encouraging consumption of natural foods and fortification of foods with vitamin D or supplementation with vitamin D preparations become important. Spending more than 60 minutes in sunny areas during the day is necessary for sufficient levels of vitamin D. Sport and sparing more than 60 minutes per day for physical activities are also important for sufficient levels of vitamin D. Concealing clothing style is an important risk factor for severe vitamin D deficiency.

Screening young people who wear concealing clothing for vitamin D levels and providing them supplementation is of paramount importance and necessary for their future bone health. Preliminary data from a recent cross-sectional study in Edmonton revealed that many infants with reported vitamin D intakes of over 10 µg/day (400 IU/day) had 25D concentrations below 80 nmol/L during the winter. There are little existing data on which to establish the normal 25D range in infancy; however, if further studies confirm that the optimal range is similar to adults, recommended dietary intakes may need to be substantially increased.

Further prospective and pharmacokinetic studies are necessary to rigorously establish evidence-based dietary reference intakes. Vitamin B6 is required for heme synthesis and in the synthesis and metabolism of amino acids— the building blocks of proteins. Thus, the vitamin has obvious relevance to adolescent growth and health. Dietary intake recommendations of vitamin B6 for adolescents were established by extrapolating data from adults, using metabolic body weight and accounting for growth. The RDA for boys aged 14 to 18 years is 1.3 mg/day, and the RDA for girls aged 14 to 18 years is 1.2 mg/day .

Only a few studies have evaluated vitamin B6 status specifically in adolescents. In an analysis of American adolescent girls (aged years), mean dietary intake of vitamin B6 was 1.2 mg/day; however, one-third of the girls not taking vitamin B6-containing supplements had either marginal or deficient vitamin B6 status . The same investigators found more than 40% vitamin B6 inadequacy when a group of 112 adolescent girls (12- and 14-year-old) were followed for two years .

For information on dietary sources of the vitamin, see the article on Vitamin B6. It is known that being adolescent and young are risk factors for vitamin D insuffiency and that is more common among females than males . Likewise, vitamin D levels were lower in female students in UAE and Iran studies .

Similarly, we also found that vitamin D levels were significantly lower in female students. 32% of the female students preferred a full concealing clothing style. In a regression analysis that was performed while keeping other variables constant, we found that female sex was a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency, which is further increased by chosing a concealing clothing style. "Vitamin D is essential for good bone health and for most people sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D. The time required to make sufficient vitamin D varies according to a number of environmental, physical and personal factors but is typically short and less than the amount of time needed for skin to redden and burn. Enjoying the sun safely, while taking care not to burn, can help to give the benefits of vitamin D without unduly raising the risk of skin cancer.

Vitamin D supplements and specific foods can help to keep up sufficient levels of vitamin D, particularly in people at risk of deficiency. The RDA of magnesium for those aged 14 to 18 years, 410 mg/day for boys and 360 mg/day for girls, was derived from results of balance studies in adolescents. Good dietary sources of magnesium include nuts, and green leafy vegetables because magnesium is part of chlorophyll — the green pigment in plants.

Meats and milk have an intermediate magnesium content, with milk providing mg per cup . Although data are limited, some studies have found that a large percentage of adolescents have magnesium intakes below recommended levels ( ). In an analysis of NHANES data, US adolescents who consumed milk had higher daily magnesium intakes than adolescents who did not drink milk . However, NHANES data show that US adolescents (12-19 years) on average only consume about 1 cup of milk daily .

Low-fat milk, nuts, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables are important sources of magnesium for adolescents. If adolescents do not meet the RDA through dietary sources, LPI recommends a combined magnesium-calcium supplement. In children and adolescents from 1 to 18 years of age, the recommended daily intake of Vitamin D is 600 IU/day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics . However, once again, looking at Table 2, different international health organizations give different suggestions for the 1–18 age range. These recommendations come from studies where potentially conflicting factors were considered and results were clearly different. There are few data regarding vitamin D requirements in the full-term infant.

Health Canada recommends that all exclusively breastfed, healthy, term infants in Canada receive 10 µg/day (400 IU/day), and that this should continue until the infant diet includes at least 10 µg/day (400 IU/day) from other sources . The Canadian Paediatric Society advocates an increase of vitamin intake to 800 IU/day for northern Native communities during the winter months . Infant formulas, dairy milk and fortified rice and soy beverages are fortified with approximately 400 IU of vitamin D3 added per litre. These should be adequate sources of vitamin D as long as the infant drinks a sufficient quantity.

However, soy , rice and other vegetarian beverages are inappropriate alternatives to breast milk, formula or pasteurized whole cow's milk in the first two years. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for maintaining normal calcium metabolism and is therefore necessary for bone health. Severe vitamin D deficiency in infants and children results in the failure of bone to mineralize, leading to a condition known as rickets, but cases of rickets have also been reported during stages of puberty and adolescence (52-53). The growth plates of bones continue to enlarge, but in the absence of adequate mineralization, weight-bearing limbs become bowed.

Vitamin D deficiency is on the rise among children in the United States, reports the American Academy of Pediatrics, and this is a concern. One study published in January 2013 in "Pediatrics" found that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in American kids is 21 percent in healthy-weight children and 34 percent in children who are obese. Vitamin D deficiency causes soft, weak bones and stunted growth in children. At the same time, however, too much vitamin D from supplements can cause health problems in children as well. As reported by the Office of Dietary Supplements, the tolerable upper intake levels of vitamin D for children range from 1,000 to 4,000 IU daily, depending on the ages of the children. There are also few studies related to vitamin status in toddlers and older infants.

Among the studies, MRC Human Nutrition Research found a high degree of seasonality in 25D levels among toddlers 1.5 years to 4.5 years of age in the United Kingdom . Mallet et al found that 6% of four- to six-year-old children in Rouen , France (49.5° north), had vitamin D insufficiency. Among toddlers, 25D concentrations declined between 16 months and six years of age and were related to stopping vitamin D supplementation . Adequate intake of calcium throughout childhood and adolescence is important for proper mineralization of growing bones, attainment of peak bone mass, and reduction of risk of bone fracture and osteoporosis in adulthood. Dietary intake recommendations for calcium in adolescents were established using a factorial method that summed average calcium accretion and calcium losses to urine, feces, and sweat and also adjusted for calcium absorption . Specifically, data used by the FNB to determine calcium accretion came from a recent longitudinal study in 642 Caucasian adolescents aged 14 to 18 years .

Thus, the RDA was set at 1,300 mg/day; this level of calcium intake is expected to cover the needs of 97.5% of adolescents. Vitamin C has a number of important roles during growth and development, including being required for the synthesis of collagen, carnitine, and neurotransmitters . Vitamin C is also a highly effective antioxidant and is important for immunity . Further, vitamin C strongly enhances the absorption of nonheme iron by reducing dietary ferric iron (Fe3+) to ferrous iron (Fe2+). Specifically, iron absorption is two- to three-fold higher with co-ingestion of 25 to 75 mg of vitamin C .

This has special relevance to adolescent health, considering the fact that iron deficiency is prevalent among adolescents, especially girls . The RDA for adolescents aged 14 to 18 years, which was extrapolated from recommendations for adults based on relative body weight, is 75 mg/day and 65 mg/day of vitamin C for boys and girls, respectively . Though taking 800-1,000 IU daily may have benefit for bone health in older adults, it is important to be cautious of very high dosage supplements. A clinical trial that gave women 70+ years of age a once-yearly dosage of vitamin D at 500,000 IU for five years caused a 15% increased risk of falls and a 26% higher fracture risk than women who received a placebo. It was speculated that super-saturating the body with a very high dose given infrequently may have actually promoted lower blood levels of the active form of vitamin D that might not have occurred with smaller, more frequent doses.

That's why vitamin D is referred to as "the sunshine vitamin." Most people can get the right amount of vitamin D from just minutes of direct sun exposure a few times a week. However, during winter, or for children in a cloudy climate or who do not spend much time outdoors, vitamin D would need to come from food sources. As a reminder, it's important not to overdo sun exposure, as it can increase risk of skin cancer later in life. Always apply sunscreen if your child is outside for more than 15 minutes. With regard to women during pregnancy and lactation, few studies using high levels of vitamin D supplementation have lasted longer than four to six months, so detailed studies of longer-term supplementation are desirable as well.

The tolerable upper intake level in adults has been arbitrarily set at 2000 IU/day. The RDA for vitamin A is based on the amount needed to ensure adequate stores of vitamin A in the body to support normal reproductive function, immune function, vitamin A-dependent gene expression, and vision . Vitamin A intake recommendations for adolescents were derived by extrapolating the recommendation for adults using metabolic body weight, accounting for growth. The RDA for adolescent boys aged 14 to 18 years is 900 μg per day of Retinol Activity Equivalents , which is 3,000 international units ; the RDA for adolescent girls aged 14 to 18 years is 700 μg of RAE, which is equivalent to 2,333 IU.

For information on vitamin A content in foods, see the article on Vitamin A. The findings from this large meta-analysis have raised the possibility that low vitamin D levels may also increase risk of or severity of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Although there is no direct evidence on this issue because this such a new disease, avoiding low levels of vitamin D makes sense for this and other reasons. Thus, if there is reason to believe that levels might be low, such as having darker skin or limited sun exposure, taking a supplement of 1000 or 2000 IU per day is reasonable. This amount is now part of many standard multiple vitamin supplements and inexpensive.

The consumption of foods that contain vitamin D and adequate sun exposure are important to prevent vitamin D deficiency. In addition, sedentary lifestyle and inadequate physical activity are also risk factors for vitamin D deficiency . Iron deficiency, which is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, is a major public health problem, especially in developing nations, but it is also prevalent in industrialized nations, notably in women of childbearing age. Severe iron deficiency leads to iron-deficiency anemia; anemia affects more than 30% of the global population . Adolescents have increased requirements for iron due to rapid growth.

In particular, adolescent girls are at a heightened risk of iron deficiency due to inadequate intake of dietary iron, especially heme iron; increased demands of growth; and iron loss that occurs with menstruation. Following puberty, adolescent girls have lower iron stores compared to adolescent boys . Obese individuals have lower vitamin D levels, because vitamin D is scattered and stored in the adipose tissue. Furthermore, vitamin D levels are increased in these children when they loss weight .

In USA elevated BMI was found to be a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency . At the same time, it has been underlined that vitamin D levels are low also in anorexia nervosa as in obesity, being underweight also poses a risk for vitamin D deficiency . Correlation analysis in the present study yielded that vitamin D levels increased along with waist circumference. But linear regression analysis revealed that the increase in waist circumference was found to be a risk factor for low vitamin D levels.

What Vitamins Should A 16 Year Old Boy Take It was observed in the correlation analysis that vitamin D levels increased with the increase in weight and BMI and the regression analysis supported this positive correlation. When BMI levels were classified, vitamin D levels were found to be significantly lower in underweight participants than in normal and overweight paticipants and the highest vitamin D levels were found in the overweight group. Although not statistically significant, vitamin D values were higher in the obese group than in the normal and underweight groups. However, this finding might be attributable to the fact that our study included only 14 obese students.