Diet & Fitness

Vitamin D and calcium supplements should be used to treat rickets only if a medical professional has diagnosed rickets and has also determined the cause is a nutritional deficiency. Amounts needed to treat rickets should be determined by a doctor and will depend on the age, weight, and condition of the child. For prevention of rickets, 400 IU of vitamin D per day is considered reasonable. Doctors often suggest 1,600 IU per day for treating rickets caused by a lack of dietary vitamin D.

The National Institutes of Health has stated that the following amounts of total calcium intake per day are useful to prevent rickets:

• 400 mg until six months of age

• 600 mg from six to twelve months

• 800 mg from one year through age five

• 800–1,200 mg from age six until age ten

 

Vitamin D and calcium supplements should be used to treat rickets only if a medical professional has diagnosed rickets and has also determined the cause is a nutritional deficiency. Amounts needed to treat rickets should be determined by a doctor and will depend on the age, weight, and condition of the child. For prevention of rickets, 400 IU of vitamin D per day is considered reasonable. Doctors often suggest 1,600 IU per day for treating rickets caused by a lack of dietary vitamin D.