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[deleted] t1_izilfit wrote

Reply to comment by Smilinturd in Can an x-ray of an adult show chronic malnourishment in childhood? by Foxs-In-A-Trenchcoat

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Foxs-In-A-Trenchcoat OP t1_iziltfg wrote

I'm interested in hearing more about this. Do you have resources?

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Drpoofn t1_izjyrnj wrote

Nowadays, rickets is only an issue for breastfed babies. We can't produce vitamin D. Pediatricians recommend to keep baby out of the sun until six months. So they usually have to take a supplement until they start eating solids and spending 30 min or more outside. If you wear sunscreen, you don't get the vitamin D.

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DrizztD0urden t1_izkohz0 wrote

While I agree with most of this, I believe that it is recommended that people take vit d supplements daily at all ages, unless they spend the entire day outside. Naked. With no sunscreen (not recomended either though). Otherwise you can use more.

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Mlpaddict t1_iziyxia wrote

Rickets is not (just?) Calcium deficiency. It's vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. In some northern countries the sun isn't strong enough for your body to make vitamin D all year round.

That's why commercially available milk tends to have vitamin D added to it.

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Arcticsnorkler t1_izjkfea wrote

I can attest. Grew up in the sub-Arctic and my vitamin D test = zero. Also super common to have low D in places where sunscreen use is common, like in Australia.

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daywalkker t1_izj05qy wrote

Your physiology still requires sunlight to activate the vitamin D. You can drink all the vitamin D fortified milk you want, but if you completely avoid sunlight, you will be deficient in the active form of vitamin D.

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PyroDesu t1_izjb20k wrote

Not true!

Sun (or more specifically, UV-B) exposure only generates the inactive cholecalciferol, the same stuff you can get from diet (diet can also give you ergocalciferol, the plant-based version, which works too). The activation process is two enzyme hydroxylation steps, first in the liver and second in the kidneys.

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Smilinturd t1_izj1w85 wrote

Can you differentiate calcium deficiencies in skeletons from malnutrition vs the effluxion of calcium in bones due to inappropriate pth release?

That's why I mentioned it would be hard to solely diagnose childhood malnutrition on xrays.

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