Could Low Vitamin D Levels Cause Childhood UTIs?

There are lots of reasons to make sure that your children are getting enough vitamin D, but now a study has highlighted one more.

In fact, several studies have found that low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of children picking up urinary tract infections (UTIs). The Vitamin D Council shared these findings and noted that vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increase in UTIs among young girls.

The researchers monitored 120 children under the age of three, and of those 76 children had UTIs and 44 didn’t.

It revealed that those who suffered from a UTI during the study period not only had lower levels of vitamin D, but also lower levels of cathelicidin and B-defensin-2. What’s more, 74 per cent of the UTI cases that occurred during the study did so during the colder, darker seasons in Sweden, where the research took place.

The study speculated that they could therefore be caused by the lower levels of vitamin D at these times of the year.

Given that the research also found that most of the children or infants were deficient in vitamin D, it could be worth parents looking at vitamin D supplements that are suitable for youngsters, not only to help protect against UTIs but also a range of other health conditions caused by vitamin D deficiency.

The Vitamin D Council points out that the only ways to get vitamin D are by taking supplements or exposing your bare skin to sunlight. If you and your family are going to take supplements, vitamin D3 is the one recommended by the organisation.