Researchers continue to discover more truth in grandma’s innumerable health tips. The latest finding provides evidence that vitamin D provides a host of health benefits one of which is preventing rickets. A report released Monday in Boston by the American Academy of Pediatrics said children must get at least 400 international units (iu) daily of the vitamin. Previous recommendations had limited the intake to only 200iu.

Vitamin D which is available primarily from sunlight as well as breast-milk is essential for healthy bone development in children.  The report by the nation’s top pediatricians group contains a set of new guideline recommendations based on evidence that adequate intake of the vitamin can provide “lifelong health benefits”.

Children must get the recommended dosage of vitamin D beginning a few days after birth.  For infants, breast-milk is a trusted source; but if the mother’s diet is deficient in vitamin D, the breast-fed infant too would get inadequate amounts of nutrient. Over the long term, this can mean stunted growth or rickets – a disease that causes softening of the bone tissue resulting in bone deformities. It could also lead to osteoporosis in later life, the AAP warns.

The AAP report’s co-author Dr Carol Wagner said children who are given less than a 250ml of vitamin-D fortified formula or milk per day must be given a vitamin D supplement. Babies must be given a supplement, especially if they are fed breast-milk alone. Her colleague Dr Frank Greer added that the stress on supplement is because diet alone cannot provide the required dosage of vitamin D to children.

There have been no notable incidence of rickets in the US, but healthcare service reports for 2000 and 2001 had mentioned some rickets cases among breast-fed babies.

Although vitamin D is available in plenty through sunlight, pediatricians caution against children spending too much time outside. Exposure to sunlight has been known to cause skin cancer, California pediatrician J. Briggs said.

Besides milk and formula feeds vitamin D is also available in fish and fortified cereals.