It can’t be a coincidence. We have another important post about vitamin D to spotlight today. And it’s not the first one relating to pregnancy and early childhood, either. The study looked specifically at the role of vitamin D to preterm birth and birth size…
Researchers wanted to see if there was an association between early vitamin D deficiency and pregnancy complications such as low birth weight and reduced fetal length…
Even pre-conception D important
We’ve heard before that adequate vitamin intake during pregnancy and postpartum is essential to give babies a healthy start. Vitamins such as folic acid and D are often spotlighted as key. Now, a new study suggests more attention should be paid particularly to vitamin D levels in moms-to-be – even before they become pregnant…
One thing leads to another. And that’s recently become expecially true of studies micro-analysing the vitamin needs of pre- and postpartum moms and babies.
What they did
“Prior research has demonstrated the effect of vitamin D on fetal skeletal growth, maternal immune function at the fetal interface, and the development of the placenta in pregnant women,” the pream-ble to the report of a new study on vitamins and fetal development states, bluntly. Researchers from Penn State University (PSU) wanted to better understand how early-pregnancy vitamin D status is related to pregnancy outcomes.
The team tested blood samples from 351 women collected as part of the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be, which was funded by the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and involved pregnant women across the United States between 2010 and 2013.
What they found
“More than 25 percent of women who are pregnant or lactating have lower than recommended levels of vitamin D,” reports study advisor Dr. Alison Gernand explains. In particular, that women with pre-conception and first trimester vitamin D levels below a certain threshold (50 nanomoles per litre [nmol/L]) were more likely to have babies with lower-than-average birth weights and experience pre-term birth more more often.
Those in the ‘deficient’ range were specifically noted to be more likely to not have been taking a daily multivitamin during early pregnancy. Related results indicated that moms-to-be with higher than opt-imal D levels (50 nmol/L) were not likely to show any further significant improvement in their fetal development results.
The takeaway
“This study provides evidence that early pregnancy – and even pre-conception – nutrition is vitally important,” Study Leader Dr. Celeste Beck says. “Individual women may or may not need supplements depending on their diet and lifestyle. But healthy nutrition is critical for promoting the healthy de-velopment of a fetus.”
“We can’t just assume that everybody is deficient, but proper nutrition is something that needs to be on your radar if you may become pregnant,” Gernand emphasises.
My take
I find it interesting to compare the need for increased vitamin D in moms-to-be, even before they become pregnant, to the ancient and well-accepted fact that soils profit from enrichment even be-fore seeds are planted, to optimize crop yields and plant performance. My personal sense that all living things share some basic needs is gratified and reassured…
~ Maggie J.