HHS HealthBeat (April 17, 2009)

Teens getting a low D

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A low D is a bad thing for a teen-ager. Low vitamin D, that is. A study finds teens with low vitamin D levels were more likely to have high blood pressure and high blood sugar. They also were more likely to have metabolic syndrome, which includes those conditions and others – and raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Jared Reis of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found this in national survey data.

[Jared Reis speaks] ``The thing that surprised me most was how strong these associations were, in terms of vitamin D deficiency associated with almost four times the risk of metabolic syndrome among adolescents,.’’ 

Milk and sunlight can help you get vitamin D.

The study presented at an American Heart Association conference was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April, 24 2009