During pregnancy it is especially important to eat a balanced and healthy diet, but it is also necessary to complement it by taking folic acid supplements and other nutrients such as iron and some vitamins. Now, new research led by the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton (UHS) has found that children whose mothers took additional vitamin D supplements during pregnancy continue to have stronger bones at seven years of age.
Bone density scans showed that children born to mothers who received vitamin D supplements during gestation had higher bone mineral density in middle childhood, meaning their bones contain more calcium and other minerals, making them stronger. and less prone to fractures. The findings have been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and according to the researchers reinforce the importance of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy as a public health strategy.
“Our results demonstrate that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy persist into mid-childhood,” said Dr. Rebecca Moon, clinical lecturer in child health at the University of Southampton, who led the analysis, in a note published at the university. “This early intervention represents a key strategy in public health, since it strengthens children’s bones and reduces the risk of conditions such as osteoporosis and fractures in adult life,” added the specialist.
An early intervention that would help prevent osteoporosis
Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, minerals essential for healthy bones, teeth and muscles. In 2009, researchers launched the MAVIDOS study, recruiting more than 1,000 women from Southampton, Oxford and Sheffield. During their pregnancy, these women were randomly divided into two groups, so that one group received an additional daily dose of 1,000 international units of vitamin D, while the other group took a placebo. Neither the pregnant women nor the medical staff knew which group they belonged to.
“This early intervention represents a key public health strategy, as it strengthens children’s bones and reduces the risk of conditions such as osteoporosis and fractures in adulthood”
Previous studies had already evaluated the bone health of children at four years of age, showing that children whose mothers had taken vitamin D during pregnancy had greater bone mass compared to those whose mothers did not. In this latest study, the researchers analyzed whether these beneficial effects on bone health were maintained in middle childhood, and to do so they followed 454 children between six and seven years old born to mothers who participated in the study in Southampton. The results confirmed that the positive effect on the children’s bones was similar at both four and six or seven years of age.
The MAVIDOS trial has helped Southampton researchers understand the possible mechanisms linking maternal vitamin D supplementation with bone mass in offspring. In 2018, they showed that supplementation influences the activity of genes related to the vitamin D pathway. In 2022, they found that taking these supplements during pregnancy could significantly reduce the chances of babies up to one year old suffering from atopic eczema. They also noted that pregnant women who received additional vitamin D were more likely to have a spontaneous or “natural” vaginal birth.
