Alarming new evidence was presented in the February issue of the Journal of Nutrition concerning Vitamin D status in pregnant women and their newborns. More than half of the women and nearly 2/3 of the infants had very low levels of the vitamin.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh were investigating the levels of Vitamin D in maternal and newborn blood in 200 black and 200 white pregnant women living in the area. Vitamin D is essential for proper bone formation and low levels in children and adults can cause a condition known as Ricketts. People diagnosed with Ricketts have soft bones, are prone to breaks, and may have long term malformations. Recently healthcare providers have seen a ressurgence of Ricketts cases in the US, even though it is now considered a disease of developing countries.
Previous studies in non-pregnant adults and older children have found astoundingly high incidences of Vitamin D deficiency. This has stirred discussion of raising the RDA of Vitamin D from 400 IU to 1000 IU or more.
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, with the primary sources being dairy foods (because of enrichment), meats, and sunlight exposure. Individuals with darker skin tones and those living in northern latitudes with decreased sun exposure are at risk for Vitamin D deficiency.
In this study 80 percent of black women and 92 percent of their newborns had deficient levels of Vitamin D in their blood. While 50 percent of white women and 66 percent of their newborns were deficient.
These findings were evident despite more than 90 percent of the women stating they regularly took a prenatal vitamin.
The authors suggest that change is in order. If such a large percentage of women and their children are starting out with low levels, what does that do over time? The amount or type of Vitamin D in prental supplements may need to be changed. Pregnant women should get more sunlight exposure. And perhaps everybody should begin to take an extra 1000 IU of Vitamin D daily, according to these researchers, to help prevent Ricketts.
Vitamin D may also play a role in the devlopment of cancer, osteoporosis, heart diseae, and diabetes.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on March 23, 2007 03:28 PM
