Thursday, October 29, 2015

Vitamin D Supplementation may be Necessary to Protect Breastfed Infants from Vitamin D Deficiency - #USANA


At a Glance:

A new study shows that when mothers supplement with 2000 IU/day of vitamin D nearly all (98%) unsupplemented breastfed infants are protected against vitamin D deficiency, whereas only about half have sufficient levels if the mother is only taking 400 IU/day (RDA – 600 IU). 




Read more about this research below:

Vitamin D supplementation is recommended during pregnancy. But after birth, the ability to maintain healthy vitamin D levels in breastfed infants is more difficult, so vitamin D supplementation is generally recommended for breastfed infants.

In a new study published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers sought to determine the effect of three different doses of maternal vitamin D supplementation on infant serum vitamin D levels when taken during pregnancy and continuing for 8 weeks after birth. 

The study included 226 normally healthy pregnant women who were randomly assigned to receive vitamin D dosages of 400 IU, 1000 IU, and 2000 IU per day from the second trimester until 8 weeks postpartum.  The infants were not given vitamin D supplementation.  Blood was collected for analysis at 8 weeks after birth.

The average serum vitamin D level in infants whose mothers took 2000 IU/day was higher (75 mmol/L or 30 ng/ml) than in 1000 IU/day group (52 mmol/L or 20.8 ng/ml) and the 400 IU/day group (45 mmol/L or 18 ng/ml).  Only 2% of the infants born to mothers supplemented with 2000 IU were considered deficient compared to 16% and 43% in the 1000 IU and 400 IU group respectively. Less than 15% of the infants in the 1000 IU and 400 IU group reached a vitamin D level over 75 mmol/L (30 ng/ml) compared to 44% born to the group supplemented with 2000 IU/day.  The mothers supplemented with 2000 IU/day had an average vitamin D level of 88 mmol/L (35.2 ng/ml) at 8 weeks postpartum, while the mothers taking 1000 IU and 400 IU had lower average levels at 78 mmol/L (31.2 ng/ml) and 69 mmol/L (27.6 ng/ml) respectively. 

The results of this study indicate that supplementation with 2000 IU/day is required beginning in gestation and during the first 8 weeks of breastfeeding to protect 98% of unsupplemented infants against vitamin D deficiency. Nearly half of unsupplemented infants of mothers taking 400 IU/day were vitamin D deficient after 8 weeks of breastfeeding. 

Kaitlin M March et al.  Maternal vitamin D3 supplementation at 50 μg/d protects against low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in infants at 8 wk of age: a randomized controlled trial of 3 doses of vitamin D beginning in gestation and continued in lactation. First published July 8, 2015, doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.106385.

SOURCE: USANA Health Sciences Essentials of Health





1 comment:

  1. Vitamin D 1000 IU is a steroid vitamin, a group of fat-soluble pro-hormones that are best known for the role they play in supporting bone health and aiding in the absorption of calcium and phosphate from the gastrointestinal tract. However, a growing body of research highlights its important role in supporting other body systems, including cardiovascular and blood sugar balance as well as increasing musculoskeletal strength, neurological and immune function enabled by its ability to target over 200 different genes throughout the body.

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