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In North America, cow鈥檚 milk is required to be fortified with vitamin D (photo by Ella Alfon via Flickr)

Children who drink non-cow's milk twice as likely to have low vitamin D

In children, low levels of vitamin D can cause bone weakness or, in severe cases, rickets

Children who drink non-cow鈥檚 milk such as rice, almond, soy or goat鈥檚 milk, have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood than those who drink cow鈥檚 milk, new research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has found.

Non-cow鈥檚 milk is becoming increasingly popular because of perceived health benefits, milk allergies or lactose intolerance.

鈥淐hildren drinking only non-cow鈥檚 milk were more than twice as likely to be vitamin D deficient as children drinking only cow鈥檚 milk,鈥 said , an assistant professor in the University of Toronto departments of pediatrics and health policy, management and evaluation, and a researcher with .

鈥淎mong children who drank non-cow鈥檚 milk, every additional cup of non-cow鈥檚 milk was associated with a five per cent drop in vitamin D levels per month.鈥

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient produced through sun exposure or found in fortified cow鈥檚 milk, fish and other foods. It plays an important role in the development and strengthening of bones.  In children, low levels of vitamin D can cause bone weakness and, in severe cases, rickets 鈥 a condition causing the bones to become soft and weak and potentially leading to bone deformities.

In North America, every 100 millilitres of cow鈥檚 milk is required to be fortified with 40 units of vitamin D. Adding vitamin D to non-cow鈥檚 milk, however, is voluntary.

It is difficult for consumers to tell how much vitamin D is in non-cow鈥檚 milk,鈥 said Maguire. 鈥淐aregivers need to be aware of the amount of vitamin D, calcium and other nutrients in alternative milk beverages so they can make informed choices for their children.鈥

The study involved 3,821 healthy children ages one to six. Researchers looked at differences in blood levels of vitamin D associated with drinking cow鈥檚 milk and non-cow鈥檚 milk. The children were recruited from seven Toronto pediatric or family medicine practices that are part of .

鈥淥ur findings may also be helpful to health care providers working with children who regularly consume non-cow鈥檚 milk due to cow鈥檚 milk allergy, lactose intolerance or dietary preference,鈥 said Maguire.

Eighty-seven per cent of children involved in the study drank predominantly cow鈥檚 milk and 13 per cent drank non-cow鈥檚 milk.

Overall support for the TARGet Kids! program is provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research鈥檚 Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health and the Institute Nutrition Metabolism and Diabetes, as well as the St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital Foundation. The Pediatric Outcomes Research Team is supported by a grant from The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation.

Geoff Koehler is a writer with St. Michael's Hospital, a partner of the University of Toronto. (R.)

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