Outdoor activity is important for a healthy lifestyle.. Walking, cycling, sports are good for not only adults but also for children and teenagers, who benefit from life in the open air.
But 36% of teenagers spend at least two hours a day playing video games or PCs and 48% instead watch too much television. This means that 50% of Italians under the age of 16 suffer from vitamin D deficiency. In particular, the most exposed to health risks, derived from this insufficiency, are teenagers. The poor exposure to the sun on which more than 90% of the absorption of the vitamin depends is under accusation.
Too long an “indoor” lifestyle, which usually begins at this time of year, significantly affects the vitamin status. This is the alarm raised by the Italian Federation of Medical Pediatricians (FIMP) during XIII National Scientific Congress.
“Taking an adequate dose of Vitamin D is essential for the correct development of bone mass and muscle mass,” says Dr. Paolo Biasci, National President of FIMP -. It is also essential because it helps strengthen the immune system and thus helps defend the body from infections. As family paediatricians we are worried by the large number of very young Italians suffering from hypovitaminosis D. The daily requirement of vitamin D3 is assured by a correct and adequate sun exposure and therefore we strongly advise all young people to spend part of their free time at open, perhaps practicing a bit of sport or physical activity ”.
Diet plays a negligible role in vitamin D deficiency. “Milk and more generally foods, even if fortified with vitamins, are not an optimal way to prevent hypovitaminosis in children and teenagers. – adds Dr. Mattia Doria, Secretary for Scientific Activities of the FIMP – It may therefore be necessary to use food supplements that can play a particularly useful role in pediatric age. They are absolutely safe and effective products which must however be taken only on the advice and advice of the family pediatrician also in terms of correct posology ”. The vitamins of the B complex are also fundamental for the correct development of children. “They have a very important role in compensating for the lack of exclusion diets linked to food allergies or intolerances – adds Dr. Biasci -. These health problems are on the rise and now affect more than 8% of Italian children. Thus it is also fundamental for this group of vitamins to use suitable supplements in the event of deficits that are more frequent in children who use exclusion or unbalanced diets “.
“In particular – recalls dr. Doria – special care must be taken of families who choose a vegetable-based food style for themselves and their children, especially if they are totally free of animal proteins. In these cases the use of supplementing with B-complex vitamins and vitamin B12 is mandatory ”.
