One in 7 U.S. teens vitamin D deficient

NEW YORK, March 12 (UPI) -- One in 7 U.S. adolescents is vitamin D deficient, which can increase the risk for bone mineralization and lead to rickets.

Researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York said the study employs a new definition of vitamin D deficiency recommended by a group of scientists attending the 13th Workshop Consensus for Vitamin D Nutritional Guidelines in 2007.

They collectively proposed that the minimum acceptable serum vitamin D level be raised from 11 nanograms per milliliter to at least 20 ng/mL.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found more than half of African-American teens are vitamin D deficient and girls had more than twice the risk of deficiency compared with boys.

"These are alarming findings. We need to do a better job of educating the public on the importance of vitamin D, and the best ways to get it. Teens need to consume at least four glasses of fortified milk daily or its dietary equivalent," Dr. Sandy Saintonge of Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Hospital Queens said in a statement.

"Other foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, tuna, eggs and fortified cereals. A vitamin supplement containing 400 international units of vitamin D is another alternative."