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Bones form the foundation of the human body, and everyone knows that the stronger the foundation, the better the building and its longevity. Yes, parents, this applies to your growing child–in fact it’s a critical part of the dietary practices you follow for the family. Parents should know about various vitamins because they serve various functions in the body. There are many different kinds of Vitamins, such as A, B, C, E, K and many more. Most of these vitamins, even the elusive vitamin K, play a role in bone health. One of the most vital vitamins that a parent should watch out for the growing child is vitamin D.
Bone structure supports the body throughout a child's life. Vitamin D is essential for high calcium absorption ability, making bones stronger and more resilient. Unfortunately, rickets, a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency in kids, can obstruct this steady development of string bones. Learn more about vitamin D and its aspects following rickets and deficiency.
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Why Is Vitamin D Needed?
The major function of vitamin D is to ensure that a child's overall bone and body structure is strong and flexible enough to grow to last a lifetime without any problems or adversity. Vitamin D ensures that the bones in a child are healthy enough to absorb enough calcium and phosphate, giving resistance and flexibility along with muscle growth. Vitamin D is also responsible for improving the immunity of a child which is an essential central function which parents should be concerned about. Without immunity, a child would not be able to stay healthy in harsh external environments. Now that you have an idea of what vitamin D is, get to know what rickets are.
What Is Rickets?
Rickets is a bone disease that happens to young children and infants due to lack of Vitamin D. Rickets is a very painful disease due to deficiency, which can make the bones soft and weak. It can hinder the proper development of bones; some of the major symptoms you can see in your children are bowing legs, bone pain, delayed growth, and many others.
The treatment of rickets is only possible in the initial stages. Once the bone has been fully developed, it becomes difficult without surgery to provide any corrective measure. Severe rickets disease can cause children to become handicapped without being able to work or function through their legs.
The Importance Of Vitamin D In Preventing Childhood Rickets
There are various importance of vitamin D in preventing childhood rickets:
1. Calcium Absorption
As discussed earlier, vitamin D is majorly responsible for calcium absorption, which helps with bone development and proper growth. The bones will not be properly formed without calcium, causing deformities such as rickets. Parents should ensure plenty of playing sessions for children in the sun with a balanced diet incorporating all the vitamins to avoid rickets at earlier ages.
Shockingly, the amount of vitamin D in food sources is much less than that of a child playing in the sun for an hour. In simple words, bones are made with 99% calcium deposits; without calcium, the bones will not form properly. Vitamin D is responsible for providing proper calcium to bones for growth and development.
2. Prevents Bone Deformity
Without proper calcium, the child suffering from rickets will tend to have bones curved inwards like an "A" shape. The most common example of a child suffering from rickets is that they cannot walk properly, and their knees touch together while their legs are stretched outwards. Children who have deformities cannot walk or execute their day-to-day tasks normally.
Parents should also be informed that bones will be formed extremely thin alongside the curving of bones, and it would be hard to touch. As vitamin D is essential in avoiding bone deformities, proper consumption of vitamin D can stop these symptoms, preventing childhood rickets.
3. Prevents Accidents
Childhood rickets and other vitamin D bone deformities can cause various accidents. It becomes especially important for parents to feed and take care of their child, noticing all the symptoms that are indicators of this disease. The early symptoms of rickets can be miss-balance while walking and clumsiness with joint pains and muscle cramps.
Once the parents have figured out what is wrong with their child, indicating rickets, they should start with a full course of Vitamin D supplements according to doctors' advice. Rickets can only be cured by proper medical guidance and fulfillment of the lack of vitamin D in the body, making vitamin D much more important for prevention.
Conclusion
Now that you know about the importance of vitamin D in preventing childhood rickets, ensure that you feed your child ample Vitamin D and that your child plays outside in the sun for sufficient health benefits. Sometimes, nature is the best source of health. Parents should always ensure they care for their children in an all-round manner without neglecting any health issues.
The views expressed are that of the expert alone.
