A US study has found 70% of children have low levels of vitamin D, putting them at risk of developing weak bones, rickets and heart disease. The study examined survey data from over 6,000 children ranging from 1-21 years of age, and also found that 9% of the children surveyed suffered from a serious vitamin D deficiency.

The study describes high-risk categories as girls, obese children, kids who drink milk less then once a week, and older children. Vitamin D can be obtained from foods such as fish and milk and also though exposure to sunlight. The study recommends children recieve 10 minutes of exposure to the sun without sunscreen a day.

The full study can be found at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org.

Writen by Tristan Boyd, Editor Ramesh Manocha.