The US has plenty of regions where there's plenty of sunlight too ;-)

The politics wasn't so much over distinguishing dark skinned
  Muslim women living in Seattle from other mothers...
as it was between different AAP subcommittees...

The breastfeeding subcommittee for the most part didn't want the  
Vitamin D
blanket recommendation but other subcommittees did because they couldn't
be persuaded that telling mothers their milk is deficient in anything  
undermines breastfeeding...

They felt the potential harm that might come to the few children who  
might need
supplementation who might fall through the cracks without a blanket  
recommendation
outweighed any harm done by giving mother's the perception that  
mother's milk is deficient...

At least that's how I heard it from a toxicology subcommittee member...

We get so many health messages all the time...
I sit up and take notice more if I feel the message is targeted at me  
personally...
If the message incorporates some characteristic that I have...
like small framed white women are more susceptible to osteoporosis
is more likely to get me to pay attention my calcium intake
than the message that all women should take calcium...

So I wonder if anyone has ever actually studied whether or not more  
children get rickets
when there is a blanket recommendation or when at risk babies are  
targeted...

Jen O'Quinn IBCLC

On Aug 22, 2006, at 5:37 PM, Nina Berry wrote:

> I read a comment on that AAP recommendation (although I confess, I  
> am not
> sure exactly where) that placed it firmly within the cultural  
> context of the
> USA.  It suggested that it would be political suicide for the AAP to
> recommend that dark skinned women who live in areas where, for much  
> of the
> year, they are unlikely to be exposed to sufficient sunlight (for  
> VIT D
> synthesis) - and women who dress in full purdah (sp?) and whose  
> skin is
> therefore not exposed to sunlight - should supplement their own and  
> their
> infants' diets with vit D.  Hence the blanket statement.
> From the other side of the world where we have our own cultural/  
> political
> idiosyncracies ... But plenty of sunlight
> Nina Berry BA/Bed(Hons) Dip Arts(Phil)
> Breastfeeding Counsellor
> PhD Candidate - "Ethical Issues in the marketing of 'Toddler Milks'"
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lactation Information and Discussion
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Emily Lindsey
> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 2:03 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [LACTNET] AAP statement on Vitamin D
>
> It does have the caveat though for those that live in sunnier  
> climates an= d
> are not dark skinned that a certain amount of sun either clothes or  
> diape= r
> is OK, or so ours docs say here in CA. They actually had a formula  
> with =
>
> your location based on latitude and longitude; however the AAP  
> thought =
>
> that it was not easily used by enough so they put a blanket rec. out
> there...
>
> Emily Lindsey, BSPsy, CLE
> Private Practice
> Merced, CA
>
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