Half of Black Teens May Be Vitamin D Deficient

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She noted that more recent data puts the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among teens at 40 percent to 50 percent.

Skin color, the prevalence of obesity and diet among black teens combine to make them more likely to be vitamin D deficient, Saintonge said. "It's a multi-factorial problem," she said.

The main dietary source of vitamin D is milk, Saintonge said. But most teens don't drink enough milk, and, to meet the new levels of vitamin D, they would need to drink even more, she said.

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Although the exact amount of vitamin D teens need isn't known, it is somewhere between 400 and 1,000 international units (IU) a day, Saintonge said.

Saintonge recommends that teens have their vitamin D level monitored during regular physical examinations to be sure they are getting enough of the nutrient.

But because teenagers are not likely to improve their diets or take vitamin D supplements, more foods need to be fortified with it, Saintonge said. "We need a national fortification strategy," she said. "It is possible that children will still have to take supplements as well."

Dr. Michael F. Holick, director of the Vitamin D Laboratory at Boston University, said that he thinks the study is important, because it will make doctors aware of the problem.

"We know the more skin pigment you have, the less efficient is your ability to make vitamin D in your skin," Holick said. "That's why most African-Americans in the United States are vitamin D deficient."

In addition, he said, obesity prevents vitamin D from being spread throughout the body.

Most experts agree that all teens are getting too little vitamin D, Holick said, adding that he believes they need as much as 2,000 IU a day. "We now recognize that you can take up to 10,000 IUs a day and not worry about any untoward toxicity," he said.

And to combat the problem, Holick agreed that vitamin D should be added to more foods. The Institute of Medicine is expected to recommend dramatically increasing vitamin D levels in 2010, Holick said.

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