NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
A new analysis of current
research provides “the strongest evidence to date” that giving
small children supplemental vitamin D will help prevent them
from developing type 1 diabetes later on, according to the
review's co-author.

“This is just another reason why current recommendations
regarding vitamin D supplementation should be rigorously
adhered to,” Dr. Christos S. Zipitis told Reuters Health.

Vitamin D is produced in the skin with sun exposure.
Deficiency in the nutrient can lead to a host of health
problems, Zipitis said. Because breast milk typically contains
little vitamin D, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
vitamin D supplements for nursing infants and UK public health
authorities say that all children should receive the
supplements for at least the first two years of life.

There are a number of clues suggesting a link between low
vitamin D levels and type 1 diabetes, Zipitis of Stockport
National Health Service Foundation Trust and Dr. A. K. Akobeng
of Booth Hall Children's Hospital in Manchester, UK, note in
their report in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The investigators reviewed all published research on
vitamin D supplementation and diabetes risk. Overall, they
found, infants who were supplemented with Vitamin D were 29
percent less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than children
who had not received supplements.

Proper clinical trials are required to determine the
optimal dose and formulation of vitamin D, as well as when and
for how long children should be given the supplements, Zipitis
and Akobeng conclude.

In the meantime, Zipitis said, “I would advise parents to
encourage their pediatricians to prescribe vitamin D
supplements for their infants. However, parents can also obtain
these over the counter and provided they are used as per
manufacturer instructions they should be extremely safe to
use.”

SOURCE: Archives of Disease in Childhood, June 2008.