Take 3: Aetiology of vitamin D deficiency

1 minute read


Sunlight offers the best source of vitamin D for humans with little benefit coming from consuming vitamin-rich foods


Professor Craig Munns, paediatric endocrinologist at Westmead Children’s hospital, says he spends most of his day with children who have, either genetic or acquired, bone and mineral disorders.

He says there are some dietary sources of vitamin D including field mushrooms and oily fish but that patients would have to consume large quantities of these foods for them to be of any benefit.

“Humans are made to get vitamin D from the sun,” Professor Munns says. “It’s very hard to get vitamin D from your diet unless you have adequate sunlight.”

Testing for vitamin D deficiency is a reasonable thing to do in individuals who have comorbidities which put them at greater risk of osteoporosis, osteomyelitis and rickets.

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