How much Vitamin D for babies?

While there’s no question that breastmilk is the perfect food and drink, it’s long been recognised that it provides insufficient Vitamin D for the baby. When you consider that a significant number of pregnant women are deficient in Vitamin D, it’s a completely logical finding. So if you’re a breastfeeding mum you’ll be interested in this study confirming the high doses of Vitamin D supplementation required to ensure your infant gets a minimum of 400IU/daily.  Unfortunately the recommendation of a short daily “sun bath” for babies has gone the way of a good deal of other grandmotherly wisdom. This recommendation, which I know my own mother heeded (probably beginning my life-long love affair with the sun) was firmly put to bed with the scare campaign about the damage of sun exposure and the risk of skin cancer. If you feel uncomfortable about exposing your baby’s delicate skin to the sun, here’s the recommendations for either your own regular sun exposure and/or supplementation while breastfeeding. If you’re planning a baby or already pregnant, I’ve included the recommendations for Vitamin D supplementation for you too. You might be surprised by the doses required - very significantly higher than many commonly available supplements! Here’s the word from researchers at GrassRootsHealth, whose work now spans more than three decades, on the required dosages and for a continuing appropriate relationship between your skin and the sun. These apply to Australian latitudes. In colder climates (higher latitudes) supplementation is the only way to achieve appropriate status.

Minimize UVA while allowing UVB

10-15 minutes exposure/day between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm (between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm during daylight saving)

Expose 40 percent of skin area

Ensure it’s a clear day without pollution

If this isn’t possible, use oral D3 supplements to achieve 40-60ng/ml (100-150nMols/L)

Vitamin D Recommendations Update for Preconception, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Dose for adults: 1 drop (I,000IU) 1 to 2 times daily. 

Dose for preconception: 2 drops (2,000 IU) daily.

Dose for pregnancy: 4 drops (4,000 IU) daily

Dose for breastfeeding: 6,400IU daily

The only way to get Vitamin D3 in breast milk is by dosing daily - either by sun, diet or supplementation. The latest research of Grassrootshealth and Dr. Bruce Hollis, Professor of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina indicates that 6,400 IU/day is necessary for breast feeding mothers to attain sufficient vitamin D (to the value of 400 IU/day for the infant) in their breast milk. 

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Vitamin D ... under the microscope again!

I’ve blogged numerous times on the likelihood of vitamin D deficiency (sunscreen, sun-avoidance, indoor lifestyles etc.) and on the multiple benefits of ensuring vitamin D status before conception, during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. I’ve also posted the most recent dosing recommendations from researchers at GrassRootsHealth, whose work now spans more than 3 decades. So the latest report in the BMJ stating that “universal conclusions about its [vitamin D’s] benefits cannot be drawn” made me angry.

It made lots of other health professionals angry too - with assertions that this major meta-analysis was never going to show anything meaningful when “there were so many underpowered and poorly designed trials in the mix.”  The identified flaws included low doses, large differences in baseline plasma concentrations and contamination with private use of vitamin D. 

Here’s the word from GrassRootsHealth on the appropriate dosages (if you're supplementing) and for a continuing appropriate relationship between your skin and the sun:

Minimize UVA while allowing UVB

10-15 minutes exposure/day between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm

Expose 40 percent of skin area

Ensure it’s a clear day without pollution

If this isn’t possible, use oral supplements of D3 to achieve 40-60ng/ml (100-150nMols/L)

RULE OF THUMB: For every 100IU ingested, there is increase of 1ng/ml

ADULT DOSE: 2,000IU/day

PREGNANCY DOSE: 4,000IU/day

BREASTFEEDING DOSE: 6,000IU/day

I'm going for the appropriate sun exposure - something that feels so wonderful has to be good for you!

Baby-making? First get lean and clean!

Well no surprises here! An obese mother is at risk of having a baby that in adulthood is more likely to die prematurely from coronary heart disease. And we shouldn’t expect the sperm of an obese father to deliver an optimal healthy package to his partner’s egg either. I’m sure these studies actually prove elegant and long-held theories, but I get very frustrated when the experiential evidence is already so clear, unequivocal and of such long-standing!

The healthiest babies come from the healthiest parents and the healthiest parents are also of normal weight. I don’t buy “fat people can be healthy!” Let’s face it, the obese are beset by a range of inflammatory processes, hormonal imbalances, skewed lipid profiles, compromised circulatory and cardiovascular performance to name just a few issues. That’s an unfortunate environment for eggs and sperm, a very compromised beginning for the uterus where an embryo will develop and grow. So if you’re overweight and thinking about pregnancy - get your weight within normal range first! 

While we’re on the subject of maternal diets and lifestyles, this report linking consumption of food and drink containing toxins to harm to the developing baby, makes me wonder where these particular researchers have been hiding. When Foresight’s work along exactly these lines dates back more than 35 years, when I’ve personally been singing this song for 30 years, it’s no wonder I get frustrated. Last but definitely not least, Australian scientists from Deakin University in collaboration with Norwegian researchers have confirmed that pregnant women whose diet is high in cereals and sugar-laden drinks are more likely to have children with behavioural problems. Children's symptoms of depression, anxiety, conduct and attention deficit disorders were directly linked to nutrient-poor, high-sugar, maternal diets! 

Convinced that you and your partner need to take action? It's never too soon to get started and here's all you need to know for the healthiest possible baby-making!

Spend some time in the sun

Consumption of high doses of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy may raise the risk of children developing food allergies after birth, says research.

Vitamin D has been in the news a lot lately - most notably because of the widespread incidence of deficiency that has been noted in Western populations. These are largely a legacy of cancer-council scare-mongering and lifestyles and working environments that are focused mostly indoors rather than out.

Now along with the identified deficiencies comes the debate about supplemental dosage forms and levels and now concern about the potential for Vitamin D during pregnancy to lead to food allergies in the baby - something the supplements would in fact be designed to prevent.

Makes a good case for moderate exposure to sunlight as the best way to prevent deficiency and get the appropriate dose in the appropriate form. So avoid sunburn, limit exposure to the strong midday sun, but ensure some regular, unprotected exposure when the sun is more than 50 degrees above the horizon (it’s at 90 degrees when it’s directly overhead). Vitamin D is manufactured when your skin takes on a very slight pink tinge.