Rickets is a bone disorder caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate. These nutrients are very important for the growth of healthy bones. People with rickets may have weak, soft bones that are slow and have skeletal abnormalities in severe cases.
Vitamin helps your body better absorb the calcium and phosphate in your gut. You can get vitamin D from a variety of foods, including milk, eggs, and fish. Your body also produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency makes it difficult for your body to maintain enough calcium and phosphate. When this happens, your body produces hormones that release calcium and phosphate from your bones. When your bones do not have these minerals, they become weak and soft.
Rickets is more common in children between the ages of 6 and 36 months. Children are most at risk for rickets; because they are still growing. Children are at increased risk of rickets if they do not get enough vitamin D, or follow a vegetarian diet or dairy products, and if they live in the low-sun area; of course, in some cases, hereditary conditions are also involved in the development of rickets.
Rickets has declined sharply in developed countries due to the production and supply of fortified foods such as vitamin D fortified cereals.

Treatment of rickets

The treatment of rickets focuses on the replacement of vitamins, especially vitamin D, and minerals in the body. This eliminates most of the symptoms associated with rickets. If your child is deficient in vitamin D, your doctor may want to expose your child to more sunlight if possible. It is also recommended to eat foods containing vitamin D such as fish, liver, milk, and eggs.
Calcium and vitamin D supplements can also be used to treat rickets. Talk to your doctor about the right does and how to take vitamin D; because this can vary depending on the age and size of your baby. Excessive intake of vitamin D or calcium can also be dangerous.
In severe cases, your child may need corrective surgery. Hereditary rickets requires a combination of phosphate supplements and high amounts of a specific form of vitamin D to treat the disease.

Vitamin D and rickets

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that your body needs for many vital processes, including building and maintaining strong bones. Low vitamin D intake is a major public health concern worldwide. In fact, vitamin D deficiency is estimated to affect 13% of the world’s population.
Rickets caused simply by a lack of vitamin D can be effectively treated with food or food sources containing this vitamin.
Vitamin D is naturally present in animal products and the richest sources are fish liver oil. This vitamin is found in small and highly variable amounts in butter, cream, egg yolks, and liver.
Today, most whole milk powders, some margarine, butter, soy milk, whole grains, and all fortified infant products are a good source of vitamin D to meet the need for this vitamin through the diet. Vitamin D is very stable and is not degraded by heating or storing food for long periods of time.

Fatty fish and seafood are among the foods that have vitamin D, other types of fish and seafood rich in vitamin D include the following:

•     Tuna fish

•     Spotted fish

•     Shell

•     Shrimp

•     Sardinia

•     Mushrooms are the only complete plant source of vitamin D.