nutrition


With at least ten clinical trials assessing the effects of vitamin D supplementation currently ongoing, MM looks at why this vitamin is particularly important for mums to be...


happy H


ardly a day seems to go by without another headline proclaiming the virtues of vitamin D.


From ‘vitamin D cream could fight skin


cancer’ to 'children with autism benefit from vitamin D', this wonderful vitamin – the ‘happy hormone’ – is proving to be extremely beneficial to a wide variety of healthcare issues. Vitamin D is a hormone that helps the


body to absorb calcium. Te skin naturally produces vitamin D when it’s exposed to sunlight, but the particular wavelength required to produce vitamin D from the sun is, however, only available for three or four months in the summer, barring rain and cloud. Also, the skin needs to be exposed at the hottest time of the day for about fiſteen minutes. In addition to the sunlight issue, only a


small amount of vitamin D can be obtained from our diet – particularly from foods such as oily fish, eggs and fortified cereals. Perhaps unsurprisingly people of all


ages living in Ireland have inadequate intakes of vitamin D and studies in Ireland have revealed that low vitamin D status and deficiency are widespread among the population. Of particular concern is the evidence that shows that women of childbearing age have inadequate vitamin D intake. Evidence suggests that vitamin D


deficiency during pregnancy can not only harm maternal health, but can affect both


18MODERNMUM


foetal development and the child’s long- term skeletal health. Due to the fact that vitamin D is so


difficult to ingest through sunlight and diet, it’s perhaps little surprise to know that both the UK and Irish governments have suggested that people take vitamin D supplements. A recent study by the University of


Southampton revealed, however, that pregnant women respond differently to vitamin D supplementation depending on their individual attributes. More than 800 pregnant women were


recruited for the Maternal Vitamin D Osteoporosis Study (Mavidos), and analysis showed that participants who received the vitamin D supplement achieved different levels of vitamin D in the blood, even though they received the same dose. Researchers found that women, who


delivered in the summer, those who gained less weight during pregnancy and those who had higher vitamin D levels early in pregnancy tended to have higher levels of the vitamin in their blood than their counterparts. Women, who consistently took the supplement also had higher levels of vitamin D than participants who did not. As a result of the findings, the scientists


have said that vitamin D levels should therefore be tailored according to individual risk factors. Currently, the recommended level of


vitamin D supplement advised by World Health Organization and local governments is ten micrograms (µg) per day during


Te hormone


pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Low vitamin D levels have been recognised as an issue both for pregnant and breastfeeding women, but also for infants and children under five years of age. Pregnant women have to ensure that not only is their own requirement for vitamin D met, and that they also build up adequate stores in the developing foetus for early infancy. Te Food Safety Authority of Ireland


(FSAI) has also recommended that all babies living in Ireland are given a vitamin D only supplement providing five µg of vitamin D from birth. Tis is necessary because babies aged up to twelve months are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency due to their rapid growth during this period. Supplements that provide only vitamin D


and are in a suitable form to be given to infants should be used to supplement infants in Ireland. Even babies who are breastfed need a


supplement. Breast milk is low in vitamin D and breastfed babies would also benefit from the use of a supplement from birth. Infant formula-fed babies will also benefit from the use of a supplement from birth. According to FSAI, however, because infant formula contains vitamin A, giving your baby a vitamin D supplement that also contains vitamin A would mean that your baby receives more than the safe upper limit for vitamin A. Terefore, infant formula-fed babies should be given a supplement that only provides vitamin D. „


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