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American Morning
Interview With Catherine Gordon
Aired September 02, 2003 - 08:4 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Research said as many as 20 percent of healthy kids had vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Catherine Gordon is a pediatrician, director of the Bone Health Center at Children's Hospital in Boston to talk about this.
Doctor, good morning, nice to have you here.
DR. CATHERINE GORDON, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, BOSTON: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Tell us this: why is it right now that vitamin D is going down in terms of popularity for kids and some other things are starting to creep into the diet?
GORDON: Bill, there are actually several factors. We know that children are not drinking as much milk as they used to. Our mothers used to always say, Drink your milk for strong bones. And she was right. Children now are drinking fruit juices, they're drinking sweetened waters, they're not drinking milk consistently at their meals and for a snack.
HEMMER: Now, Doctor, is that because there's more options out there or is it because the parents aren't pushing the milk like they used to?
GORDON: I think you're exactly right. I think there are just simply more options. The sweetened waters that we used to not see many years ago.
HEMMER: What happens to a boy or girl growing up that does not get the amount of vitamin D that's necessary?
GORDON: Bill, vitamin D is critically important for efficient absorption of calcium by the body. We know that childhood and teenage years are critically important for bone density, specifically laying down what's called the peak bone mass for life. And we know that if children are vitamin D deficient, they don't deposit calcium into their skeleton so they could have weaker bones.
HEMMER: Tell me what is a recommended daily allowance of vitamin D? How do you measure it?
GORDON: We think about vitamin D in terms of international units, 200 international units has been established by the American Academy of Pediatrics\, of which I'm a member, as a minimal amount. However, I think it's important for viewers to know there's great debate about that and 400 units or higher may be what's optimal for bones. We need to do more research to establish it.
HEMMER: You know, Doctor, when we talk about milk and vitamin D, that seems like the obvious answer. But there are other things within the environment itself that you recommend. What rules do you set up when it comes to sunlight for young boys and girls?
GORDON: Right. Right. Good point. We get vitamin D both from our diet as well as from the sun so we make vitamin D in our skin.
Actually, we have lively debates with dermatologists about this and sunscreen. A young person probably only needs about 10 minutes of sunlight several times a week. A more darkly pigmented individual like my African-American children may need 15 to 20 minutes.
HEMMER: Why is that, I wonder? Why is the difference in race?
GORDON: Right. A more darkly pigmented skin actually somewhat inhibits ultraviolet light from the sun. So one would simply have to be out in the sun for a longer period. It's important to know we do see more vitamin D deficiency in our African-American children.
HEMMER: Well, Dr. Catherine Gordon, thanks for bringing it to our attention and thanks for pinch hitting for the good doctor, Sanjay Gupta.
GORDON: Sure, thanks for inviting me.
HEMMER: You got it, Doctor. Take care. Have a good day.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 2, 2003 - 08:4 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Research said as many as 20 percent of healthy kids had vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Catherine Gordon is a pediatrician, director of the Bone Health Center at Children's Hospital in Boston to talk about this.
Doctor, good morning, nice to have you here.
DR. CATHERINE GORDON, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, BOSTON: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Tell us this: why is it right now that vitamin D is going down in terms of popularity for kids and some other things are starting to creep into the diet?
GORDON: Bill, there are actually several factors. We know that children are not drinking as much milk as they used to. Our mothers used to always say, Drink your milk for strong bones. And she was right. Children now are drinking fruit juices, they're drinking sweetened waters, they're not drinking milk consistently at their meals and for a snack.
HEMMER: Now, Doctor, is that because there's more options out there or is it because the parents aren't pushing the milk like they used to?
GORDON: I think you're exactly right. I think there are just simply more options. The sweetened waters that we used to not see many years ago.
HEMMER: What happens to a boy or girl growing up that does not get the amount of vitamin D that's necessary?
GORDON: Bill, vitamin D is critically important for efficient absorption of calcium by the body. We know that childhood and teenage years are critically important for bone density, specifically laying down what's called the peak bone mass for life. And we know that if children are vitamin D deficient, they don't deposit calcium into their skeleton so they could have weaker bones.
HEMMER: Tell me what is a recommended daily allowance of vitamin D? How do you measure it?
GORDON: We think about vitamin D in terms of international units, 200 international units has been established by the American Academy of Pediatrics\, of which I'm a member, as a minimal amount. However, I think it's important for viewers to know there's great debate about that and 400 units or higher may be what's optimal for bones. We need to do more research to establish it.
HEMMER: You know, Doctor, when we talk about milk and vitamin D, that seems like the obvious answer. But there are other things within the environment itself that you recommend. What rules do you set up when it comes to sunlight for young boys and girls?
GORDON: Right. Right. Good point. We get vitamin D both from our diet as well as from the sun so we make vitamin D in our skin.
Actually, we have lively debates with dermatologists about this and sunscreen. A young person probably only needs about 10 minutes of sunlight several times a week. A more darkly pigmented individual like my African-American children may need 15 to 20 minutes.
HEMMER: Why is that, I wonder? Why is the difference in race?
GORDON: Right. A more darkly pigmented skin actually somewhat inhibits ultraviolet light from the sun. So one would simply have to be out in the sun for a longer period. It's important to know we do see more vitamin D deficiency in our African-American children.
HEMMER: Well, Dr. Catherine Gordon, thanks for bringing it to our attention and thanks for pinch hitting for the good doctor, Sanjay Gupta.
GORDON: Sure, thanks for inviting me.
HEMMER: You got it, Doctor. Take care. Have a good day.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
