Vitamin D deficiency in premature infants

Research by Morales E et al., published in Int J Obes 2015, shows that vitamin D deficiency is common in premature infants. The fetus receives all its vitamin D from the mother, but if the mother has a deficiency, both the fetus and the newborn will suffer from vitamin D deficiency. There is a direct correlation between the mother's vitamin D levels at birth and the newborn baby's levels.

CDC stands for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a federal agency in the United States that focuses on protecting public health and safety by controlling and preventing diseases, injuries, and disabilities. The CDC conducts research, provides guidelines, and offers education to handle various health-related issues and emergencies. They state that vitamin D has long been associated with bone health, but growing research suggests that it also protects against many diseases common among adults. There are also signs that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of infections in children and affects blood sugar regulation. According to the CDC, lead researcher Anne Merewood was surprised by the high level of vitamin D deficiency among mothers. "Many of them took prenatal vitamins (multivitamins for pregnant women), but this was not enough to achieve adequate vitamin D levels." Therefore, taking only a prenatal multivitamin is insufficient to meet the necessary vitamin D levels.

The recommendation is to obtain 70–80 IU per kilogram of body weight daily from all sources, including sun exposure, food, and supplements. On average, women get 170 IU per day from food, men 205 IU per day, and children aged 2–19 get 195 IU per day from food. The remaining vitamin D intake should come from supplements unless one sunbathes 80% of the body without sunscreen between approximately 11 am–3 pm for at least 20 minutes when the UV index is 3 or higher.

You can check the UV index for your location here: https://www.coppertone.com/sun-facts/uv-index

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