April 26, 2021
Vitamin D makes healthier babies
A Starship Hospital Paediatrician says providing vitamin D supplements to pregnant Māori and Pacific mothers during winter and spring could cut the number of infants admitted to hospital with acute respiratory infections.
Dr Cameron Grant, who is also an Auckland University professor of paediatrics, says new research based on data from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study has found that newborns with lower levels of vitamin D are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital with acute respiratory infections during infancy.
He says a newborn’s levels of vitamin D are largely dictated by the levels of vitamin D in the pregnant mother.
While all infants would benefit from supplements, vitamin D status at birth is poorer in Māori and Pacific infants.
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