CHICAGO (AP) — The country’s leading group of pediatricians is recommending that children receive double the usually suggested amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it might help prevent serious diseases.

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    To meet the new recommendation of 400 units daily, millions of children will need to take vitamin D supplements each day, the American Academy of Pediatrics said. That includes breast-fed infants — even those who get some formula — and many teenagers who drink little or no milk.

    Baby formula contains vitamin D, so infants fed only formula generally do not need supplements. However, the academy recommends breast-feeding for at least the first year of life, and breast milk is sometimes deficient.

    Most commercially available milk is fortified with vitamin D, but most children do not drink enough of it — four cups daily would be needed — to meet the new requirement, said Dr. Frank Greer, who helped write the report.

    The new advice is based on mounting research about potential benefits from vitamin D besides keeping bones strong, including suggestions that it might reduce the risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But the evidence is not conclusive, and there is no consensus on how much of the vitamin would be needed for disease prevention.

    The advice replaces a 2003 academy recommendation for 200 units daily. That is the amount the government recommends for people up to age 50; 400 units is recommended for adults ages 51 to 70, and 600 units for those 71 and older. Vitamin D is sold in capsules and tablets, as well as in drops for young children.

    The Institute of Medicine, a government advisory group that sets dietary standards, is discussing with federal agencies whether the recommendations should be changed based on the new research, said a spokeswoman, Christine Stencel.

    The recommendations were to be released Monday at an academy conference in Boston. They will be published in the November issue of the academy’s journal, Pediatrics.

    芝加哥（AP）：美国儿科医生领导小组正建议儿童应该获取2倍通常建议的维生素D剂量，因为证据表明，维D有助于防止严重疾病。

    不达到新的每天400毫克的建议量，数百万儿童将需要每天食用维D补充剂，美国儿科协会称。其中也包括母乳喂养的婴儿，甚至包括吃奶粉的婴儿，以及许多很少或不喝牛奶的少年。

    婴儿奶粉含有维D，因此只吃奶粉的婴儿通常不需要VD补充剂。不过，协会建议至少第一年应该母乳喂养，而母乳有时候是不够的。

    大多数商业化牛奶都有强化VD，但大部分儿童喝得不够，一天需要四杯，才能达到新的要求，协助写报告的Frank Greer博士称。

    新的建议的提出是基于有关维D除保持骨骼健壮以外的其它可能的好处的量研究提出的，包括维D可降低癌症、糖尿病和心脏病的危险。但证据并不确定，产且对具体多少维生素才能防止疾病并无达成共识。

    建议取代了2003年提出的每天200单位的学术建议。200单位是政府建议50岁以前人士的摄取量，400单位是51至70岁人士的建议量，而71岁以上老人则建议每天获取600单位。VD以胶囊和药片形式出售，儿童装还有滴剂。

    美国药学会是一个政府咨询机构，它设立饮食标准，现在它正在与联邦机构讨论是否应该根据最新研究结果进行推荐剂量调整，发言人Christine Stencel说。

    建议将在周一的波士顿学术会议上提出。并将发表在11月号的学术期刊《儿科》上。