My first question when I read the headline on this BBC News article was what the hell are ‘rickets’.
Well, rickets, according to Wikipedia, is
a softening of the bones in children potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries. The predominant cause is a vitamin D deficiency, but lack of adequate calcium in the diet may also lead to rickets. Although it can occur in adults, the majority of cases occur in children suffering from severe malnutrition, usually resulting from famine or starvation during the early stages of childhood.
So, doctors in the UK are saying that policies on Vitamin D supplements are not been adhered to. And this has caused children to suffer from rickets - which can stop bone from forming properly. Babies from Asian, African, Afro-Caribbean or Middle Eastern backgrounds are particularly at risk as their darker skin reduces the capacity of the skin to manufacture Vitamin D from sunlight. This is because the main source of Vitamin D is the ultra-violet radiation from sunlight.
The doctors have recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should take Vitamin D supplements. A deficiency of Vitamin D results in the lower ability to absorb calcium, which in turn is key in the formation of healthy bones.
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