Breastfed Babies Need Extra Vitamin D

Featured Article
Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Pregnancy / Obstetrics;  Bones / Orthopedics
Article Date: 14 Oct 2008 - 0:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon opinions  

Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:5 stars

5 (5 votes)

Healthcare Prof:3 and a half stars

3.5 (4 votes)


Because of vitamin D deficiences in the diet of breastfeeding mothers, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is doubling the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants from 200 IU per day to 400 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life. And the recommendation also extends to all other babies, children and adolescents.

The new recommendation to increase the daily intake of vitamin D for infants, children and adolescents is made in a clinical report available as a PDF download from the AAP website and expected to be published in the November issue of Pediatrics.

Co-author Dr Frank Greer, who chairs the AAP Committee on Nutrition, said:

"We are doubling the recommended amount of vitamin D children need each day because evidence has shown this could have life-long health benefits."

"Supplementation is important because most children will not get enough vitamin D through diet alone," he added.

Dr Carol Wagner, member of the AAP Section on Breastfeeding Executive Committee and who co-authored the report with Greer said:

"Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for infants," but "because of vitamin D deficiencies in the maternal diet, which affect the vitamin D in a mother's milk, it is important that breastfed infants receive supplements of vitamin D".

Wagner said that until we can find out the exact vitamin D requirement of lactating mothers and breastfed babies, the best way to make sure that breastfed babies get enough is to recommend a daily supplement of 400 IU.

The new recommendation follows a review of new clinical trials on vitamin D that show 400 units of vitamin D a day not only prevents but also treats rickets, the bone-softening disease.

Enough vitamin D stops children developing rickets but dietary sources are limited and there are problems with determining what is a safe amount of exposure to the sun (our skin needs sunlight to make vitamin D), Greer told the press on Monday.

There are still reports of rickets in children in the US and other Western countries where the greatest risk is in babies who are exclusively breastfed and who do not receive daily supplements of 400 IU of vitamin D a day.

The peak incidence of rickets is in babies aged between 3 and 18 months, but there are also reports of the disease in older children and adolescents.

Getting enough vitamin D in childhood is also thought to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis (weakened bone disease) in later life. And new research shows vitamin D is also important for the immune system and the prevention of a range of autoimmune diseases, diabetes and cancer.

More specifically, the new recommendation suggests: "Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents"
Carol L. Wagner, Frank R. Greer, and the AAP Section on Breastfeeding and Committee on Nutrition.
Pediatrics, November 2008; vol 122.

Click here to download the report (PDF) from AAP website.

Source: Abstract, AAP.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD.


Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our pediatrics / children's health section for the latest news on this subject.
There are no references listed for this article.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA
Catharine Paddock, PhD. "Breastfed Babies Need Extra Vitamin D." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 14 Oct. 2008. Web.
12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125317.php>

APA
Catharine Paddock, PhD. (2008, October 14). "Breastfed Babies Need Extra Vitamin D." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125317.php.

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.


Pediatrics / Children's Health

What is Pneumococcal Disease?

Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) bacterium, also known as pneumococcus. Infection can result in pneumonia, infection of the blood (bacteremia/sepsis), middle-ear infection (otitis media)... Read more...

Most Popular Articles



Follow Our Pediatrics News On Twitter

Follow Us On Twitter
Get the latest news for this category delivered straight to your Twitter account. Simply visit our Pediatrics / Children's Health Twitter account and select the 'follow' option.



View list of all 'What Is...' articles »