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Breast-fed infants and vitamin D supplements
Filed under: Newborns, Toddlers Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Babies, Nutrition: Health, Development/Milestones: Babies, Media, Day Care & Education, Feeding & Sleeping, Baby-sitting, Research Reveals: Babies, Nutrition: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Expert Advice: Babies, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Development: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Behavior: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Activities: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Gear Guides: Babies, Gear Guides: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Research Reveals: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Expert Advice: Toddlers & Preschoolers
As recently noted by fellow staff member Rachel Mosteller in a Blogging Baby post about the low levels of Vitamin D in adolescent girls, a study in Pediatrics suggested that breast-fed babies living in northern latitudes often lack healthy levels of vitamin D, and may even be severely deficient. In northern latitudes, sunshine is too diminished in the winter for the infants to generate enough vitamin D on their own. Blood samples from 84 infants when they were about 9 months old were analyzed. Forty-nine received vitamin D, either from formula or supplements, while 35 were breast-fed and received no supplements. Eight breast-fed infants were considered to be deficient, defined as having blood levels of the active metabolite of vitamin D -- 25-hydroxyvitamin D -- (25-OHD) of less than 11 nanograms per milliliter. Two of these infants were considered to be severely deficient, with levels below 5 nanograms per milliliter. More infants were vitamin D deficient during winter (37 percent) than during summer (2 percent), and more dark-skinned than light-skinned infants were deficient (43 percent versus 6 percent). A second study investigated breast-fed babies from ages 4 to 15 months and found that deficiency is less prevalent as babies get older.
It wasn't always this way. At the beginning of the last century, it was standard practice to give infants a teaspoon of cod liver oil, which averages about 440 IU of 25-OHD per day. When the use of baby formula became popular, enough vitamin D was added to the formula to prevent deficiency. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vitamin D supplements of 200 IU per day for breast-fed infants. The proviso that supplements may not be required if there is adequate exposure to sunshine, but this was never defined. If you are breast feeding your baby, you likely take Vitamin D. If not, check with your pediatrician as to how much of the vitamin you should take.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-10-2006 @ 8:37PM
Jenny said...My pediatrician advised me that 15 minutes exposure to sunlight twice a week would provide enough vitamin D. This link has good information, it recommends slightly more exposure: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d.html .
Also, the recommendation for vitamin D supplements is for EXCLUSIVELY breastfed babies since as you mention formula does provide vitamin D.
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8-10-2006 @ 8:40PM
Mary P said...Cod liver oil!! I remember that stuff! A tablespoon a day, November through end of March, for my brother, sister, and me. It was gross. It was also non-negotiable.
(And this was WELL into the second half of the last century, thank you so much!)
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8-11-2006 @ 3:08AM
Croft said...In Holland I have to give my daughter vitamin D supplimenets till she is 3 years old. I believe milk in the US and UK is vitamin D fortified, where as here it is not, therefore the need for the supliments beyond the breastfeeding time. I also gave her vitamin K suppliments for a few months after she was born. Both supliments are normal here for all babies except for those who are formula fed (which has both vitamin K and D).
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