Rickets lead to brittle bones and poor immunity. Vitamin D deficiency is the cause of this disease. A recent survey shows that in the last 10 years there has been an increase in the number of rickets cases.
A recent survey report from National Health Service, UK, reveals an abrupt rise in ricket cases reported in the last ten years. The number of emergency admissions to hospital for rickets increased to 833 in 2012-2013, compared to only 190 cases in 1993, indicating the cases have quadrupled in the last 10 years, reports Daily Mail.
Sunlight is the major source of Vitamin D for the body. Less exposure to the sun is primarily responsible for the spike in rickets cases. Many parents keep their children away from sunlight due to cancer risk.
Nowadays, children are also greatly addicted to indoor games especially computer and video games and are driven to schools by cars, which keeps them away from any source of sun's rays.
Poor food habits of children are also partly to blame. A recent study reveals that inclusion of fishes like sardines, mackerel, pilchards, fresh tuna and salmons in the diet can reduce chances of rickets in children. Other than fish, eggs, liver and dairy products are also rich sources of Vitamin D.
"Now it is on the rise again partly because of a change in the quality of our diet and partly because of our aversion to sunlight, which has been caused by our justifiable concerns about skin cancer," said Gillian Killiner, spokesperson for British Dietetic Association, in a statement. "People now are eating much less oily fish, fewer dairy products and not supplementing. Kids are also eating more processed and junk food, while people whose bodies are obese find it much more difficult to access their vitamin D."
According to Killiner, pregnant women lacking Vitamin D are more likely to give birth to babies with low Vitamin D quotient. Hence, pregnant women need to take Vitamin D on a regular basis. During pregnancy, women are recommended 600 IUs of vitamin D each day.
