A DOCTOR has claimed that Asian children in East Lancashire are getting the vital vitamins for healthy bodies - despite new research showing that one in five ethnic youngsters were suffering from deficiency.

Experts believe there are several reasons for the lack of Vitamin D and iron among Asian children in Britain, including diet and an innate difficulty in producing the vitamin, which builds healthy bones.

But Dr Ikram Malik, of Nelson Health Centre, said the problem was not widespread in the area although he had dealt with some cases of vitamin deficiency.

He said: "We have a large Asian population in East Lancashire but this problem is not as common as we might have expected.

"The reason is that most Asian families living here are from rural areas of Pakistan. They use fortified flour in chapatis and the ingredients they use in cooking also help. It is a concern that doctors are aware of and any sensible GP will be on the look out for any signs of vitamin deficiency. It is also something parents need to be aware of and we do our best to spread the message through health education and the health authority."

The research by doctors Margaret Lawson and Margaret Thomas, of the Childhood Research Centre at the Institute of Child Health in London, involved giving blood tests to 600 Asian two-year-olds across Britain. They found a link between a lack of iron and vitamin D in 20 per cent of cases, according to a report in the British Medical Journal.

Diet is believed to be an important factor. The doctors found Pakistani children were more likely to have deficiency than those from Bangladesh or India, probably because of their different diet. Another element is the fact that people with paler skins are more efficient at generating vitamin D through exposure to sunlight then those with darker skins.

Doctor Lawson said people working with ethnic minority groups should give the message that a vitamin D supplement is essential for Asian children under five.

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