Van's Health Foods

Calcium, vitamins D and K in celiac disease.

Children with celiac disease may have weak bones because they don’t absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin D. In this study, 43 children aged 3 to 17, with celiac disease, agreed to follow a gluten free diet. At the start, 43 percent were low in vitamin D and 25 percent were low in vitamin K, with a direct link to lower bone mineral density (BMD) scores.

After one year, BMD scores had not changed. One-third of the children were still not getting enough vitamin K on the gluten free diet, and all the children were getting too little calcium and vitamin D. Study authors said children with celiac disease should supplement at least the recommended daily allowance of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K.

Overweight kids deficient in vitamin D

Doctors in this study compared vitamin D levels in 411 obese kids, aged 6 to 16, to 87 normal-weight kids of the same age. Children told researchers about their daily diets including soda, juice, fruit and vegetables, as well as how often they skipped breakfast. Half of the obese children were deficient in vitamin D, compared to 22 percent of normal-weight kids, and 92 percent were low in vitamin D, compared to 68 percent for normal-weight kids. The more kids skipped breakfast, drank soda, and fruit juice, the lower the levels of vitamin D.

Obese kids were also more likely to show signs of insulin resistance, and doctors said that while this study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, they suspect low vitamin D levels may play a role in developing type 2 diabetes.

Reference: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism; 2012, Vol. 97, No. 1, 279-85

From the April 2012 newsletter

Kids whose moms took folic acid were more likely to develop normal speech

Doctors said folic acid may have other childhood benefits besides reducing neural tube birth defects. Researchers analyzed language development in 38,954 Norwegian boys and girls whose mothers did or did not take 400 mcg of folic acid per day, from four weeks before becoming pregnant to eight weeks afterward. Norway does not require manufacturers to fortify foods with folic acid.

Doctors measured severe language delay, which they defined as speaking only one word, or making only unintelligible sounds. In children whose moms did not take folic acid, 9 out of 1,000 had severe language delay. For children whose moms did take folic acid, the rate of severe language delay was less than half, or 4 in 1,000.

Multivitamin improved aerobic capacity and physical endurance

Researchers in this study gave 300 school kids, aged 7 to 10.5 years, 40 grams of chocolate malt beverage powder, with or without multivitamin fortification, or no treatment at all. The two malt powders had the same number of calories.

After four months, while the two other groups did not improve in any measure, the multivitamin group had large increases in aerobic capacity and whole-body endurance. To test endurance, kids ran continuously between two points, 66 feet apart, at increasing speed. The multivitamin group also improved in blood levels of iron, vitamin C, and the active forms of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, and B12.

Reference: Journal of the American Medical Association; 2011, Vol. 306, No. 14, 1566-73

From the April 2012 newsletter

During short-term exercise, the body burns carbohydrates as its first fuel, but during long-term exercise, the body depletes carbohydrates and starts to burn body fat. Doctors said that astaxanthin, the bright red carotenoid in salmon and shrimp, increases muscle enzymes that help convert fat to energy. To test this theory, 14 competitive cyclists took 4 mg of astaxanthin per day, or a placebo. After 28 days, the bikers fasted and rode for two hours to deplete stored carbohydrates, and then took a 12-mile time trial. The astaxanthin group completed the trial much faster than placebo.

Reference: Journal of Sports Medicine; 2011, Vol. 32, No. 11, 882-8

From the April 2012 newsletter