Should You Supplement Vitamin D During Pregnancy?
Should pregnant women take Vitamin D supplements, and if so, how much?
No other vitamin deficiency is as common during the dark winter months as the sun vitamin. Therefore, supplementing to avoid deficiency during pregnancy makes a lot of sense.
A recent study shows that supplementing Vitamin D reduces the risk of common pregnancy complications, such as high blood sugar and high blood pressure. Despite a very low dose – only 400 IU daily, compared to placebo – there were significantly positive results.
As previous studies have shown the same results (a lower blood sugar, a lower blood pressure, lower insulin levels) from supplementation in non-pregnant people, the results from this study are clearly credible.
What Dose is Appropriate During Pregnancy?
I usually recommend a dosage between 2,000 IU daily (small women) to 5,000 IU (large men) for adults during the dark winter months. For young children 1,000 IU daily may be appropriate.
The above are the doses needed to avoid severe deficiency and where the risk of overdosing hardly exists.
I see no reason for pregnant women to take lower doses than this. The requirement will likely be at least as great during pregnancy. A previous study on 4,000 IU Vitamin D given daily to pregnant women showed, furthermore, that this was completely safe and cut the risk of infections and preterm birth in half.
When my spouse was pregnant she took 4 – 5,000 IU Vitamin D daily. Since birth, my daughter Klara has received 1,000 IU Vitamin D drops daily. She couldn’t be healthier or more perfect (of course). She’s also the least autistic child I know.
Do you have an interesting experience with Vitamin D supplementation?
Happy to hear progress reports on Klara... no doubts she is perfect :-)
Pregnancy is not a personal issue for me (I'm past 50... and male!) but I am making more of an effort to get sunlight on my skin; by getting out and about in the Summer months. I used to burn and again maybe anecdotal, but since LCHF I find my skin is better able to tan :-)
Vitamin-D Requirements in Pregnancy
You may also be interested in what the Vitamin D council has to say on Vitamin D during pregnancy and breastfeeding (if you cannot access it then please let me know and I'll find a way round the problem.
i suspect that human milk should be vitamin d replete. It's interesting to note that Luxwolda found that East Africans (living now as human DNA evolved) have levels around that 46ng/ml 115 nmol/l mark and these levels RISE during pregnancy.
Please don't forget the relationship between MAGNESIUM and Vitamin D.
Magnesium, vitamin D status and mortality: results from US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001 to 2006 and NHANES III"
You will not be able to benefit from vitamin d if/while you are magnesium deficient.
Most modern industrially produced foods lack the amount of magnesium previously present.
GM/NON GM corn example But it's the same with wheat.
We also must not forget that Vitamin D is most effective as an anti inflammatory agent around the 50ng/ml 125nmol/l mark. (particularly if magnesium is adequate)
It's too late tonight to summarise Dr Cannell's Vitamin D~Autism theory but i suspect that keeping 25(OH)D levels at a natural optimum level will better enable your body to deal with inflammation and/or infection. see
Autism spectrum disorder in children born preterm—role of exposure to perinatal inflammation
I wonder, in what form do you give a newborn Vitamin D? What drops do you get?
I wanted to ask you what's your opinion on vaccination of infants? In Poland some of them are mandatory, some of them are not and some of them seem to be really dangerous (have the possibility to cause autism). I know it's probably not the topic of a LCHF diet, but I'm on a LCHF diet and planning to be a full LCHF mom in a near future :) it would be great to hear some more info from a doctor from the other side of Baltic Sea :)
http://simplypregnant.net