Vitamin D deficiency is common in US children, associated with cardiovascular risks

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone and a component of a complex endocrine pathway sometimes called 'vitamin D endocrine system' (Medscape, 2012). Vitamin D deficiency is common in the US pediatric population and is associated with adverse cardiovascular risks http://bit.ly/17qzXE

9% of children and young adults (age 1-21) are deficient in vitamin D, and another 61% have “insufficient” levels http://bit.ly/11SQus -- 7 out of 10 U.S. kids have too-low vitamin D levels, putting them at risk of heart disease, rickets, and weak bones http://bit.ly/3k4Qlz

Researchers: "high incidence of vitamin D deficiency was so surprising that "we sat on our data for 6 months." Children with the lowest vitamin D levels were more likely to have higher blood pressure, high blood sugar and low HDL http://bit.ly/1q4Kw