Pregnant women should be given vitamin D supplements, researchers claim

Pregnant women should be given vitamin D supplements, researchers claim
All pregnant women should be given vitamin D supplements to safeguard their babies' health, researchers have claimed.

Published: 1:03PM BST 04 Jul 2010


Pregnant women should receive vitamin D supplements, research has claimed Photo: PA The study contrasts with official guidance from the National Institute of health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which does not support the provision of supplements.

However, experts claimed that women who do not have enough vitamin D can experience complications in pregnancy which could be life-threatening for a new-born. It could also lead to the development of diseases such as rickets and other deficiency linked conditions.


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Pollution from inner city during pregnancy can reduce intelligence, research suggestsDr Elina Hypponen, from the University College London Institute of Child Health, said that providing women with daily supplements would "reduce related serious risks to their babies".

Her report in the British Journal of Nutrition called for a unified approach from health authorities towards supplements and said that vitamin D deficiency is "largely being overlooked by our health professionals".

The Department of Health advises pregnant women to ensure they receive 10 micrograms per day of vitamin D, which the researchers claimed cannot be provided by diet and the sun alone.

But the NICE said that women should simply "be informed" about the importance of having adequate vitamin D levels during their pregnancy and while breastfeeding - adding that some women may choose to do this via supplements.

Pregnant women on low incomes are entitled to receive supplements free of charge, through the Healthy Start Scheme, but the report said that all mothers regardless of their background would benefit.

Britain was the only one of 31 countries examined which did not recommend that women of reproductive age took a vitamin D supplement.

Dr Hypponen said: "The incidence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women in Britain is unacceptably high, especially during winter and spring.

"This is compounded by a lack of exposure to sunlight and the limitations of an average diet to meet the optimal need.

"In the most severe cases, maternal vitamin D deficiency can be life threatening to a newborn.

"We believe that the routine provision of a daily supplement throughout pregnancy would significantly decrease the number of mothers who are clearly vitamin D deficient, reducing related serious risks to their babies."

She said past evidence showed that taking supplements coincided with a much lower incidence of diseases such as infantile hypocalcaemia, also known as William's syndrome, which affects development, and rickets, which weakens bones.

Women are more likely to be vitamin D deficient than men, and a previous study found one in four pregnant mothers has been found to be vitamin D deficient during winter and spring.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists currently recommends that only women at risk of vitamin D deficiency should take a supplement and called for further research to be done.

Patrick O'Brien, a spokesman for the college, said: "There is gradually accumulating evidence that universal vitamin D supplementation in the UK might be beneficial for the whole population.

"But more research is needed on the balance of risks and benefits in women at low risk of vitamin D deficiency, and on the correct dosage to use."