Marc Joseph Nutrition - Blog

Last Fall, I posted on a study that looked at vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women in Northern Europe:

Vitamin D Deficiency During Pregnancy

And now, a new North American study has been released that both confirms and heightens the need for concern regarding vitamin D levels in both pregnant women and their newborns.

In this latest study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers looked at vitamin D levels in both black and white women and their newborns in Pittsburgh, PA. Over 90 percent of the women took prenatal vitamins during pregnancy.

What the researchers found was simply amazing:

• More than 83 percent of black women and 47 percent of white women had insufficient or deficient levels* of vitamin D at delivery.
• More than 92 percent of black newborns and 66 percent of white newborns had insufficient or deficient levels* of vitamin D at delivery.

* In this study, deficiency and insufficiency levels were defined as <37.5 nmol/L and 37.5 to 80 nmol/L, respectively. 80 nmol/L is recognized by most leading vitamin D researchers as a minimum level of sufficiency, with higher levels (e.g., 110 to 125 nmol/L) likely being more optimal.

Clearly, the current vitamin D intake recommendation for pregnant women (600 IU/day) is not adequate. Remember, nearly all of the mothers in this study were also taking prenatal supplements.

The results of this study give even more urgency to the call earlier this year for an increase in the vitamin D upper-limit (UL) recommendation.

Bottom line

Mothers and their newborns in Northern latitudes are at significant risk for vitamin D deficiency. Sunshine (UVB rays) hitting the skin is the primary source of vitamin D. And with many adults in sunnier climates diligently avoiding the sun and using high-number sunscreens, even mothers living in Southern latitudes are potentially at risk for deficiency.

As discussed here, adequate daily intake levels may be at least 2,000 IU/day, and possibly higher, for individuals not getting regular, limited sun exposure.

Ideally, you want to target a vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) blood level toward the high-end of the sufficiency range (45 to 50 ng/mL or 112 to 125 nmol/L).

Vitamin D isn’t just important for pregnant women and their children. It’s also key in helping to reduce the risk of:

• Several types of cancer (colon, breast, pancreatic, prostate, ovarian, etc.)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Influenza
• Nursing home admission
• And more …

Vitamin D is one nutrient in which you definitely don’t want to be deficient.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2007 at 10:55 pm and is filed under Child Nutrition, Vitamins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.