Calcium and Vitamin D Intakes in Children

Calcium (Ca2+) and vitamin D (VitD) play an important role in child health. Aims. The investigators evaluated the daily intake of Ca2+ and VitD in healthy children; and the efficacy of Ca2+ and VitD supplementation. Daily Ca2 + and VitD intake was evaluated in consecutive healthy children through a validated questionnaire. Subjects with a daily Ca2 + and VitD intake \< 70% of dietary reference intakes (DRIs) were invited to participate in prospective randomized trial with 2 groups of nutritional intervention: group 1, dietary counseling aiming to optimize daily Ca2+ and VitD intake plus administration of a commercially available Ca2 + and VitD supplementation product (Colecalcium®, Humana, Milan, Italy); group 2, dietary counseling alone. At the enrollment (T0) and after 4 months (T1) serum VitD levels were assessed.