Study suggests maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy may improve long-term bone health and lean mass in children. Study: Pregnancy vitamin D supplementation and offspring bone mineral density in childhood follow-up of a randomized controlled trial . Image Credit: Nemer-T/Shutterstock.
com In a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , a team of scientists from the United Kingdom (U.K.) investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on the bone density of children aged 6 to 7.
The study aimed to understand whether vitamin D intake by expectant mothers could positively influence the offspring’s bone health and gain insights into potential public health strategies for improving long-term skeletal development. Background Vitamin D is essential for bone health and plays a key role in calcium balance and skeletal growth. Especially during the fetal and early postnatal periods, vitamin D levels have been linked to skeletal development, suggesting that maternal vitamin D status could impact the infant’s future bone density and overall bone strength.
Observational studies have found that higher maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy are associated with greater bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in children at various ages, including at birth and in early childhood. However, the findings are inconsistent about the duration of the benefits and the supplementation dosages, and whether these benefits p.
