By Carole Kerr
We all know that our body needs vitamins. In fact there's a whole mini-alphabet of vitamins on our must-have list aimed at keeping us, and our bodies, strong and healthy.
Vitamin A for skin and hair, vitamin B for muscles and joints, vitamin C for fighting colds and infection, vitamin E as a powerful antioxidant, vitamin K for healthy blood and one that we are going to discuss in more detail today, vitamin D.
Vitamin D is well known to have a really important role in keeping our bones healthy. Not enough of it can lead to an increased risk of rickets (a softening of bones) in children or bone weakness in adults.
But a raft of research from Perth's The Kids has also shown that vitamin D levels can have an impact on many aspects of a child's health, including lung growth, language development and eating patterns.
A recent study from The Kids has uncovered a significant link between low vitamin D levels in mums-to-be and the risk of female children developing an eating disorder. Lead author Dr Karina Allen says the research showed that low vitamin levels, particularly in the second trimester of pregnancy, indicated a higher eating disorder risk in female children by the time they were 20 years of age.
Separate research from The Kids has also uncovered a connection between low vitamin D levels and language development.
The research headed by Professor Andrew Whitehouse showed that children of mums who had low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy were twice as likely to have language difficulties. A significant finding given vitamin D levels among women are known to have decreased steadily over the past 20 years.
Good vitamin D levels are important for all of us, even more so for the very young. Babies get their initial store of vitamin D in the womb, so if a mum's level is low then the baby's levels are also at risk of being too low.
Two other studies from The Kids have also identified a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and lung growth and function.
One study showed a connection between vitamin D levels and asthma, with low levels playing a role in bacterial infections in lungs that could bring on or exacerbate asthma attacks.
The study's lead researcher Dr Shelley Gorman said that although its early days, this research shows that by improving vitamin D levels there's potential to control lung bacteria that causes inflammation and asthma.
A separate research study led by Associate Professor Graeme Zosky also discovered that low vitamin D has the potential to alter a child's lung growth which could result in lower lung volume and decreased lung function. The long term impact of this could be an increased risk of developing severe lung disease later in life.
So where do we get our vitamin D and how do we know our levels are ok?
Vitamin D can be found in very small amounts in some foods such as oily fish, eggs and fortified margarine or butter but the real value for us comes from the sun.
UV radiation, from sunlight, is the best natural source of vitamin D, but living in a country like Australia where too much sun exposure can prove deadly, it's all about finding a safe and sensible balance between exposure and need.
The key is to get sun exposure when levels are at their safest. Australia's winter months are best for this but even then the risk varies between northern and southern parts of the country, so the best approach is to aim for days that are less than a 3 rating on the UV index for the region you live in.
You can check this on a daily basis via the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's website or learn more from the Cancer Council SunSmart guide.
There are no obvious symptoms for having low vitamin D levels, but if unsure you can ask your doctor for a simple blood test. If too low, vitamin supplements may be recommended.
But at the end of the day it comes down to balance. A balance of safe and sensible sun exposure - following recommended guidelines - to ensure that you, and your child, produce a healthy store of this really important vitamin.