Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation during pregnancy may reduce risk of Rickets among infants: Study

However, infants born to mothers who received a high dosage of vitamin D supplementation (28,000 IU/week) during the third trimester of pregnancy until 6 months postpartum expressed a significantly lower risk of developing biochemical rickets. The risk was reduced to just 1.3% in this group by highlighting the potential efficacy of this supplementation regimen.

Infants whose mothers received only prenatal supplementation at varying doses showed no significant difference in rickets risk when compared to the placebo group. These findings underline the importance of both the dosage and timing of maternal vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk of infantile rickets. The outcomes of this study emphasize the need for further investigation to determine the optimal dosage and duration of postpartum vitamin D supplementation, especially during lactation. These findings have significant implications for public health policies in regions where infantile rickets remains a concern. Overall, the study illuminates the critical role of maternal vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk of infantile rickets in regions without routine infant supplementation programs.

Reference:

Lautatzis, M.-E., Keya, F. K., Al Mahmud, A., Tariq, U., Lam, C., Morris, S. K., Stimec, J., Zlotkin, S., Ahmed, T., Harrington, J., & Roth, D. E. (2024). Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation and Infantile Rickets: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial. In Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-063263