UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Avoidance of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy in the United Kingdom: the case for a unified approach in National policy

Hypponen, E; Boucher, BJ; (2010) Avoidance of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy in the United Kingdom: the case for a unified approach in National policy. BRIT J NUTR , 104 (3) 309 - 314. 10.1017/S0007114510002436. Green open access

[thumbnail of download.pdf]
Preview
PDF
download.pdf
Available under License : See the attached licence file.

Download (504kB)

Abstract

Prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in Western populations is high; pregnant women are identified as a high-risk group, especially if dark skinned. Consequences of severe clinical vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy can be life threatening to the newborn, while lesser degrees of hypovitaminosis D may have important long-term implications for offspring health. Past experiences with routine provision of 10 mu g/d (4001U/d) to all pregnant mothers suggest that this dose is sufficient to prevent overt neonatal complications of vitamin D deficiency. Recent data suggest that supplementation with dosages above 10 mu g/d may be required for optimal health in the mother and child; however, further research is required for the assessment of the benefits and safety of supplementation with higher dosages. Lack of unified advice on vitamin D supplementation of pregnant mothers in the UK hinders the implementation of primary prevention strategies and is likely to leave some deficient mothers without supplementation.

Type: Article
Title: Avoidance of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy in the United Kingdom: the case for a unified approach in National policy
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114510002436
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007114510002436
Language: English
Additional information: © The Authors 2010
Keywords: Vitamin D, Pregnancy, Deficiency, Policy, GROWTH-FACTOR-I, D SUPPLEMENTATION, NUTRITIONAL RICKETS, GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, PREECLAMPSIA, CHILDREN, WOMEN, 1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN-D, CALCIUM, HYPOCALCEMIA
UCL classification: UCL
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/113963
Downloads since deposit
426Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item