Below is an interesting article on vitamin D from the New York Times’ Well blog. This is another one of the medical quandaries that so bedevil parents: not enough may be bad, too much may be bad and they don’t know how much is good. It’s easy to get yourself twisted up about these matters, but a friend of mine gave me great advice shortly after I first become a mother: listen to the experts but when it comes to making a decision, trust your instincts. You know your child better than anyone.

 The Miracle of Vitamin D: Sound Science, or Hype?

By TARA PARKER-POPE

Imagine a treatment that could build bones, strengthen the immune system and lower the risks of illnesses like diabetes, heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure and cancer.

Some research suggests that such a wonder treatment already exists. It’s vitamin D, a nutrient that the body makes from sunlight and that is also found in fish and fortified milk.

Yet despite the health potential of vitamin D, as many as half of all adults and children are said to have less than optimum levels and as many as 10 percent of children are highly deficient, according to a 2008 report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Read more.