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Folic acid, iron, calcium, magnesium, iodine, choline, fiber, omega-3 and vitamin D are essential for healthy fetal growth. Calcium, for example, is essential for building bones and teeth, justifying a 30% increase in calcium requirements during pregnancy. As for vitamin D, it plays a key role in the regulation of calcium and phosphate. A recent study suggests that maternal consumption of vitamin D during pregnancy improves the infant’s bone mineral density, a benefit that may last until mid-childhood.
Although certain foods such as salmon, eggs or cow’s milk are rich in vitamin D, solar radiation (UVB) remains the main synthesis factor, earning it the nickname “vitamin of the sun”. During pregnancy, taking vitamin D supplements is often recommended, not only for the health of the mother, but also for that of the child. Indeed, some studies suggest that this intake could reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. However, the benefits of this precious vitamin do not stop there.
In 2009, the MAVIDOS study, led by researchers at the University of Southampton and the University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust (UHSFT) in the United Kingdom, looked at the impact of maternal intake of vitamin D. This research involved 965 pregnant women from Southampton, Oxford and Sheffield, divided into two groups. The first group received a daily dose of 1,000 IU of vitamin D supplements until delivery, while the other group was administered a placebo.
Vitamin D: lasting beneficial effects
Of the 965 pregnancies, 723 babies were delivered at term, and 477 of them underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at age four to assess their bone mineral density. The results showed that children who benefited from additional vitamin D intake in
utero had higher bone density than those in the placebo group. A separate study then sought to determine whether this improvement persisted into late childhood.
« This early intervention constitutes an important public health strategy. It strengthens children’s bones and reduces the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis and fractures in adulthood said Dr Rebecca Moon, senior lecturer in child health at the University of Southampton, NIHR, in a statement.
In another study published in The American Journal of
Clinical NutritionMoon and colleagues performed a second DXA on 454 of the 477 children in the MAVIDOS study. At that time, the children were between six and seven years old. The results showed that bone density remained as high as at age four.
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« Our results show that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy extend into middle childhood ” Moon said. She added: “ In the UK, pregnant women are now routinely recommended to take vitamin D supplements “. Research conducted in 2022 by Dr. Moon’s team also suggests that giving vitamin D supplements during pregnancy may reduce the risk of atopic eczema in infants.
