MAKING BABIES: Taking vitamin D during pregnancy is good for baby’s bones
March 03, 2020 • 1 min read
-- Vitamin D builds strong bones, but we may need to increase the daily dose, especially women during pregnancy.
Most doctors recommend that pregnant women take a daily supplement of 400 units of vitamin D. But a new study demonstrates that taking a much higher dose builds stronger bones in babies.
The study involved 517 women taking either a 2,400-unit vitamin D supplement or a placebo from 24 weeks of pregnancy until one week after birth.
In addition, all the women were advised to take a 400-unit vitamin D supplement, in line with Danish health recommendations.
Each baby’s bones were scanned periodically through to age 6, with children whose mothers took 2,800 units recording significantly higher bone density at age 6 than children in the placebo group.
The effects were particularly robust in women who were initially deficient in vitamin D and in those who gave birth during the winter, when sunlight levels are lower and vitamin D blood levels tend to drop.
About 7% of children whose mothers took the high dose suffered bone fractures through age 6, compared with 11% in the placebo group.
High doses had no effect on birth weight, or on the height or weight of the 6-year-old children.
Time to dust off your bottle of cod liver oil.