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All babies and young children should be given free vitamins on the NHS to combat rising cases of bone disease, according to England’s chief medical officer.Renewed fears about rickets caused by lack of vitamin D have prompted Professor Dame Sally Davies to call for a review of current policy, which distributes free vitamins only to low-income families.
Rickets, a scourge of Victorian Britain, was virtually eradicated after the Second World War but is returning in children due partly to lack of outdoor play and to poor diets low in vitamin D-rich foods such as oily fish, eggs and liver.
Professor Dame Sally Davies said all babies and young children should be given free vitamins on the NHS
During the war children were given food supplements such as cod liver oil, but this practice stopped in the 1950s.
In a report, Professor Davies also warns children’s health in the UK is slipping behind other major European countries.
A WARTIME SUPPLEMENT
A spoonful of cod liver oil used to be a daily routine for millions of children.
The practice began during the Second World War amid concerns that rationing might deprive children of vital nutrients.
The strong-tasting oil comes from the liver of cod fish, and because of its high levels of vitamins A and D it was intended to prevent diseases such as rickets.
Its high content of omega-3 fatty acids – which some research suggests boost brain power in children – may have been a beneficial side effect.
Other studies show it works as an anti-inflammatory for adults with rheumatoid arthritis and may help alleviate joint stiffness in osteoarthritis.
Modern cod liver oil has a higher vitamin A content compared with decades ago.
The practice began during the Second World War amid concerns that rationing might deprive children of vital nutrients.
The strong-tasting oil comes from the liver of cod fish, and because of its high levels of vitamins A and D it was intended to prevent diseases such as rickets.
Its high content of omega-3 fatty acids – which some research suggests boost brain power in children – may have been a beneficial side effect.
Other studies show it works as an anti-inflammatory for adults with rheumatoid arthritis and may help alleviate joint stiffness in osteoarthritis.
Modern cod liver oil has a higher vitamin A content compared with decades ago.
Giving vitamins could help reverse the trend, she claims. ‘We know that many children, not just those in vulnerable groups, have vitamin deficiency,’ she added.
She has asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) to examine whether it would be cost-effective for all children to receive daily drops or tablets containing vitamins A, C and D.
The NHS already recommends all youngsters aged six months to five years take the vitamins, but parents must pay for them unless they are part of the NHS’s means-tested Healthy Start scheme.
Professor Davies said the UK’s record on children’s health used to be ‘one of the best but we are now the worst’.
Possible causes include lifestyle behaviours in pregnancy such as smoking, and poor care in infancy.
Rickets is on the rise due partly to a lack of outdoor play and poor diets low in vitamin D-rich foods
An estimated 40 per cent of children are estimated to have vitamin D levels below the recommended amount.
The vitamin helps the body absorb calcium, essential for healthy bones and teeth.
Meanwhile vitamin A strengthens children’s immune systems and eyesight and maintains healthy skin. Vitamin C is important for general health and helps the body absorb iron.
‘We are offering these vitamins to vulnerable children and the take-up is low, but many children not in these communities need them too,’ Professor Davies said.
She said a scheme in Birmingham to offer vitamin D supplements to all children means one in five now take them – halving the number of cases of rickets and other deficiency problems.
There is evidence lack of vitamin D might contribute to longer term health problems involving the immune system, she said.
Claire Lemer, editor of the report, said: ‘We do know from studies that making vitamins available to all can lead to a boost in families taking up the offer.’
Other recommendations include assigning a named GP to every child with long-term conditions and a regular survey on children’s mental health.
The report also says reducing obesity by one percentage point in children could save the NHS £1billion a year.
Professor Davies said 12.5 per cent of toddlers are obese, as are 17 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls aged up to 15, adding that the ‘long-term consequences are massive’.
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