HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pawley, N. Articles by Bishop, N. J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Pawley, N. Articles by Bishop, N. J Agricola Articles by Pawley, N. Articles by Bishop, N. J

Prenatal and infant predictors of bone health: the influence of vitamin D^1,2,3,4

¹ From the Children's Bone Group, Academic Unit of Child Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.

ABSTRACT

Vitamin D is essential for the health of pregnant women and their infants. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency during pregnancy are reflected in lower maternal weight gain and biochemical evidence of disturbed skeletal homeostasis in the infant, with, in extreme situations, reduced bone mineralization, radiologically evident rickets, and fractures. Populations at risk for vitamin D deficiency are those for which, for environmental, cultural, or medical reasons, exposure to sunlight is poor and the dietary intake of vitamin D is low. The infants born in such populations have low vitamin D stores and may receive little additional vitamin D if they are breast-fed without supplements for long periods. In the short term, lack of vitamin D supplementation in infancy leads to biochemical disturbances, reduced bone mineralization, slower growth, and eventual alterations in bone shape and increased risk of fracture, the hallmarks of rickets. In the longer term, lack of vitamin D supplementation may result in reduced bone size and mass during childhood and an increased risk of type 1 diabetes mellitus. Clear recommendations are needed regarding the intake of vitamin D during pregnancy and infancy. Such recommendations should be based on functional outcomes, rather than biochemical measurements, so that the medical problems resulting from the lack of this essential nutrient can be overcome.

Key Words: Pregnancy • rickets • growth • bone

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Dawodu and C. L Wagner Mother-child vitamin D deficiency: an international perspective Arch. Dis. Child., September 1, 2007; 92(9): 737 - 740. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S H Dijkstra, A van Beek, J W Janssen, L H M de Vleeschouwer, W A Huysman, and E L T van den Akker High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in newborn infants of high-risk mothers Arch. Dis. Child., September 1, 2007; 92(9): 750 - 753. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Schwalfenberg Not enough vitamin D: Health consequences for Canadians Can Fam Physician, May 1, 2007; 53(5): 841 - 854. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. M van der Meer, N. S Karamali, A J. P Boeke, P. Lips, B. J. Middelkoop, I. Verhoeven, and J. D Wuister High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant non-Western women in The Hague, Netherlands. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, August 1, 2006; 84(2): 350 - 353. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Seeman and G. J. Strewler Clinical and Basic Research Papers - December 2004 Selections IBMS BoneKEy, January 1, 2005; 2(1): 1 - 5. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J Raiten and M. F. Picciano Vitamin D and health in the 21st century: bone and beyond. Executive summary Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2004; 80(6): 1673S - 1677S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]