Children with higher levels of two types of 25-hydroxyvitamin D
(25(OH)D) do not appear to fare better in school, researchers
found. Increased levels of 25(OH)D3 were not associated with any
academic outcomes at ages 13 to 14 or 15 to 16, according to
Debbie Lawlor, MBChB, PhD, of the University of Bristol in
England, and colleagues. And higher levels of 25(OH)D2
unexpectedly were associated with worse academic performance at
both ages, although that could have been a chance finding, the
researchers reported online in the Journal of Epidemiology &
Community Health. "The increasing number of association studies
suggesting that low levels of vitamin D are related to a wide
range of health outcomes, including cognitive function, have
resulted in calls for changes to public health guidance
regarding extreme protection against UV exposure," they wrote.
"However," they continued, "our results suggest that protection
of children from UVB exposure, which has been associated with
low levels of vitamin D, but which pro