Increasing vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy can drastically reduce the risk of an infant developing rickets, a childhood condition marked by weakened, softened bones. One group was given 4,200 IU per week and a placebo postpartum. A second group was given 16,800 IU per week, followed by a placebo after delivery.
The third was given 28,000 IU per week, followed by a postpartum placebo. A fourth group was given 28,000 IU per week up to six months postpartum. The fifth was given a placebo throughout the study.
“Maternal prenatal supplementation alone at any dose, without postpartum continuation, did not significantly decrease the risk of biochemical rickets,” the researchers wrote. The prevalence of rickets was highest in children whose mothers received the placebo. The research team concluded that “high-dose maternal postpartum vitamin D supplementation may serve as a viable public health strategy for rickets prevention” but added that additional research is warranted to fine-tune the right amount of vitamin D needed for optimum rickets prevention.
Other risk factors include living in areas with less sunlight, having darker skin that is less able to convert sunlight into vitamin D, and taking certain medications that can interfere with the body’s ability to use vitamin D..
