Increased Respiratory Infection Risk Linked to Lack of vitamin D at Birth.

More evidence that pregnant women need more vitamin D.

CNN | A study led by Dr. Carlos Camargo, Jr., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, finds that newborns with low levels of cord-blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D (a measure of overall vitamin D status) had a greater risk of respiratory infection than those who had higher levels. The researchers did not find an association with asthma, but respiratory infection exacerbates that condition, Camargo said.

"Mothers should be aware that vitamin D is important," Camargo said. "I wouldn't want to change policy based on this first study, but I do think it supports the idea that vitamin D is important for health."

Vitamin D comes from sunlight and from dietary sources such as milk, he said. Many mothers have low levels of vitamin D, so there's little of it in the breast milk, which may lead to these negative effects on the child.

Scientists tested the cord blood from 922 healthy newborns in New Zealand. They asked parents about any respiratory infection at 3 months, a history of wheezing at 15 months, and then checked in again every year until the children turned 5 (89% of the children participated for the entire study).

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that children who had low vitamin D levels in the cord blood at birth had a higher risk of respiratory infection in their first few months of life, as well as a higher risk of cumulative wheezing in early childhood.

Researchers are not sure exactly how vitamin D influences wheezing, but one theory is that this nutrient affects the developing immune system while the baby is still in the womb, or even during the first few months after birth. Another possible explanation is that a mother relays behaviors such as time spent outdoors and characteristics such as skin pigmentation to her child.

The study is not the final word on this issue, however. It does not draw conclusions about root causes, and it did not look at vitamin D levels earlier in pregnancy or long after birth. It is possible that in the five years of followup some children received vitamin D supplements and others did not - this was not tracked. Still the researchers say that significant changes in vitamin D intake are unlikely because vitamin D-fortified foods are scarce and supplement use is rare in New Zealand. There could have been, however, changes in behavior involving sun exposure. Also, the researchers tracked respiratory infections based on mothers' reports, rather than medical evaluations.

Vitamin D has been showing all kinds of good results: Besides strengthening bones, it may affect the genes of cancer and autoimmune disorders, for instance, and counteracting genetic predispositions.

But too much vitamin D can be dangerous, so watch out. And in November, the Institute of Medicine, which advises the U.S. government in health recommendations, said that the majority of Americans and Canadians are, in fact, getting enough vitamin D and calcium.

Bottom line: Talk to your doctor about whether you need more vitamin D.

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