Tweet of the day @drkkaggarwal

1. Debate on whether to routinely measure BP in kids: The contradictory advice comes in two papers published online January 8, 2013 in JAMA Pediatrics. In the first, a review article, Dr Arnaud Chiolero (Switzerland) say there is "no compelling evidence in favor of universal BP screening among healthy children." But in an accompanying editorial, pediatricians Dr Stephen R Daniels and Samuel S Gidding (University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora) argue that US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend routine measurement of BP in children starting at age three.

Personally I and Heart Care Foundation of India recommend that screening should be done at the time of entry to the school

2. 80 % of us are vitamin D deficient: Vitamin D deficiency depends on

Where you live: The further away from the Equator you live, the less vitamin D–producing UVB light reaches the earth’s surface during the winter. 

Indians:  In India the 80% people have vitamin d deficiency. Indian require 2000 IU of vitamin D daily (west requirement is 800 units). 

Air quality: Carbon particles in the air from the burning of fossil fuels, wood, and other materials scatter and absorb UVB rays, diminishing vitamin D production. 

Pollution: Ozone absorbs UVB radiation, so pollution-caused holes in the ozone layer could end up enhancing vitamin D levels.

Use of sunscreen:  Sunscreen prevents sunburn by blocking UVB light. Sunscreen use lowers vitamin D levels.

Skin color: Melanin makes the skin dark. It “competes” for UVB  with the substance in the skin that makes vitamin D. Dark-skinned people tend to require more UVB exposure than light-skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D.

Weight: Being obese is correlated with low vitamin D levels and that being overweight may affect the bioavailability of vitamin D.

Age:  Older people have lower levels of the substance in the skin that UVB light converts into the vitamin D precursor. Older people are less efficient vitamin D producers than younger people.

Formula of forty: expose 40% of your body, for atleast forty continuous minutes for atleast forty days in an year to get enough vitamin D.

3. High BPA Levels In Kids Linked To Kidney & Heart Damage

Bisphenol-A (BPA), the compound found in plastic and food packaging can put children at risk for future heart and kidney disease. This harm is independent of the issues related to obesity, as reported in online Jan. 9 in Kidney International.