Shedding light on vitamin D deficiency ‘crisis’

The seizures gripped the nine-month-old baby boy as he slept.

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The United Kingdom's Department of Health has warned that the health condition known as rickets is making a comeback due to more widespread vitamin D deficiency among the British population.

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The disease often starts with pain in the legs, arms and spine. But babies with rickets can't tell anyone about the pain, so it's usually a seizure, a broken bone or the characteristic bowed legs that finally trigger a diagnosis.

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Pregnant or breastfeeding women have been urged to boost their vitamin D intake amid warnings that cases of rickets in children are increasing. Rickets is a bone disease mainly caused by a lack of the vitamin. It can lead to deformities, stunted growth and general ill-health.

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Muslim women who wear the hijab are at risk of serious illness because they do not get enough sun, doctors have warned. They said an alarming number of women who cover their skin are suffering bone deficiencies over a lack of vitamin D.

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Light at Night and the Risk of Cancer

Proper sleep in the dark is essential for human health.

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