Daily HealthBeat Tip

Where's the sunshine vitamin?

Researcher Ekhard Ziegler (EK�-hard ZIG�-luhr) of the University of Iowa says more than three quarters of breastfed babies who did not receive supplements were vitamin D deficient in the winter:

"If the babies received neither vitamin D drops or formula, a full 78 percent were vitamin D deficient during winter. During summer, when the babies formed vitamin D in the skin and the mothers formed vitamin D in the skin from the ultraviolet radiation, only 2 percent of babies were found to be vitamin D deficient." (20 seconds)

Last revised: August 7, 2006

The White House | USA.gov | Helping America's Youth