“Vitamin D helps the body control calcium and phosphate levels. If the blood levels of these minerals become too low, the body may produce hormones that cause calcium and phosphate to be released from the bones. This leads to weak and soft bones,” says Google health.

Simon HS Pearce, professor of endocrinology, honorary consultant physician and Tim D Cheetham, senior lecturer in pediatric endocrinology, honorary consultant pediatrician have published an article citing video games as one of the causes for an increase in cases of rickets.

The study states that the increased amount of time we spend indoors is a direct cause of the increase in rickets. How big is the increase?  Twenty people per year.  However, when you look at what the disease does to you, you certainly would not want to contract it.

• Impaired growth
• Increased bone fractures
• Muscle cramps
• Short stature (adults less than 5 feet tall)
• Skeletal deformities

I like to play video games, but I don't want this disease, what can I do to prevent it?

Simple: Go outside.  Vitamin D is absorbed through the skin via moderate doses of sunlight. The body absorbs the vitamin naturally by being outside. As we continue to spend more time indoors, our bodies are starved of vitamin D.

Definitely not a new study, but the warning of going outside and not staying inside playing Halo is very good advice. If you can't go outside due to your disability, several dietary changes can be made. Increase the amount of fish, liver, and processed milk in your daily diet.

Above all else, if you can go outside, attempts to get 30 minutes of sunlight a day. Sunlight helps your body in a number of ways including absorbing vitamin D, regulating your circadian rhythm, and even growing hair.

However, this is not medical advice. If you believe you might have this disease, please seek the advice of a medical profession.

Comments (1)

Carol Williams

January 28, 2010

Votes: +0

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Good article, but vitamin D deficiency can't be blamed solely on video games. When I was a kid, we only had four channels on the TV, now we have hundreds. We also sunbathed and swam without sunscreen, not worrying about skin cancer. My parents spent their entire summers in the fields working, again without sunscreen.

Yes, video games are making it easier to stay inside, but the backlash about skin cancer has contributed as well, as has the message that if parents don't know where their children are every minute of every day, they aren't doing a good job.

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