Pregnant women are at high risk of Vitamin D deficiency which can cause long-term health problems in infants.

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is epidemically high in the UK, and most western populations.  The typical Western lifestyle of long working hours indoors and the avoidance of the midday sun to prevent skin cancers has exacerbated the problem to the point that we are now seeing the return of rickets and other features of vitamin D deficiency.

Pregnant women used to safe guard against vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy by taking Cod Liver oil supplements and as a result rickets and vitamin deficiency symptoms were virtually non-existent by the 1930’s. Unfortunately however, vitamin A levels in Cod Liver oil crept dangerously high and as a result of the tetrogenic dangers of excessive vitamin A intakes in pregnancy Cod liver oil supplementation has not been recommended since the 1990’s.

A deficiency in vitamin D during pregnancy may be associated with pre-eclampsia, pre-term labour, miscarriage, and other pregnancy related complications.

Advice on vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy has been conflicting, with some authorities citing no supplementation is necessary and others recommending large doses of supplementation.

Here at Juliet Wilson Nutrition we recommend as part of our guidance on eating for pregnancy the following where possible:

1.       Take a good antenatal supplement containing at least 5 µg vitamin D daily 3 months before conception if possible. A degree of vitamin D deficiency is likely to be present in mist women so it’s best to correct the deficiency before conceiving.

2.       Get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine where possible. In summer months the early morning or late afternoon sun is fine, but during the winter months make an extra effort to spend some time outdoors at lunch time when the sun is highest.

3. Eat regular sources of vitamin D when you are pregnant:

• Quaker and Kellogg’s supplement most of their breakfast cereals with vitamin D so you could try to add a few of their cereals into your diet 2 or three times a week. Examples include; Quaker oats or Kellogg’s All Bran, Special K, Cheerios or Corn flakes but always check the packaging.
• Eggs.
• Oily fish (salmon, tuna, and mackerel) are rich in vitamin D but take care not to consume more than 2 portions of oily fish a week.
• Enriched oils and margarines. Most margarines are fortified with vitamin D

This entry was posted on Friday, November 12th, 2010 at 11:04 AM and is filed under Pregnancy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One response to “Pregnant Women Risk High Vitamin D Deficiency”

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