Unsupplemented infants were 19X more likely to be vitamin D deficient
Vitamin D status among 4-month-old infants in New England: a prospective cohort study.
J Hum Lact. 2012 May;28(2):159-66.
Merewood A, Mehta SD, Grossman X, Chen TC, Mathieu J, Holick MF, Bauchner H.
Division of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. [email protected]
BACKGROUND:
Concerns over vitamin D deficiency in infants and children recently prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend increased supplementation.
Few studies have examined vitamin D status in the same infants over time.
Also, while many researchers label "breastfeeding" as a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency, few differentiate between any breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, and supplemented or unsupplemented breastfeeders.
OBJECTIVE:
To determine predictors of 25(OH)D deficiency at 4 months in a group of children previously tested at birth.
METHODS:
We enrolled newborns from 2005 to 2007 at an urban Boston hospital. Maternal and infant blood samples were collected within 72 hours of birth.
At 4 months, we obtained a second infant blood sample.
RESULTS:
At 4 months, 11.9% of the 177 infants were vitamin D deficient compared to 37.5% at birth (25(OH)D <20 ng/mL).
Median 25(OH)D was 35.2 ng/mL (range, 5-100.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 32.8-37.6).
At 4 months, 40% of unsupplemented infants were deficient.
Lack of supplementation was significantly associated with increased risk of deficiency (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 19.3; 95% CI, 4.80-77.2).
Being outside at least 10 minutes a day, once per week , was protective (AOR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.66), as was increasing gestational age (AOR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.19-0.69).
In 48.4% of patients, physicians failed to prescribe vitamin D at 2 months.
CONCLUSIONS:
Despite inconsistent supplementation, a smaller proportion of infants were vitamin D deficient at 4 months than at birth.
While supplemented breastfed infants were not at risk of deficiency, unsupplemented exclusively breastfed infants were at high risk of severe deficiency .
PMID: 22526344
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Comments by Vitamin D Life
Although the abstract does not state, these infants were probably breastfed to some extent.
The mother must take >4,000 IU of vitamin D to provide vitamin D in breastmilk
Wow! Just 10 minutes once a week reduces chance of vitamin D deficiency by 88%
Almost 50% of US physicians did not prescribe vitamin D to infants