Effect of weekly vitamin D supplements on mortality, morbidity, and growth of low birthweight term infants in India up to age 6 months: randomised controlled trial
BMJ. 2011; 342: d2975.
Published online 2011 May 31. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d2975; PMCID: PMC3104477; Accepted March 14, 2011.
Geeta Trilok Kumar, associate professor,corresponding author1 Harshpal Singh Sachdev, senior consultant in paediatrics and clinical epidemiology,2 Harish Chellani, consultant paediatrician,3 Andrea M Rehman, lecturer in medical statistics ,4 Vini Singh, research fellow,1 Harsh Arora, research fellow,1 and Suzanne Filteau, professor of international nutrition 4
1 Institute of Home Economics, Delhi University, F-4 Haus Khas Enclave. New Delhi-110016, India
2 Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, B-16 Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi, India
3 Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
4 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
Correspondence to: G T Kumar ; Email: geetatrilokkumar at gmail.com
Objective To investigate whether vitamin D supplementation can decrease the mortality and morbidity of low birthweight infants in low income countries.
Design Randomised controlled trial.
Setting Large government hospital in New Delhi, India.
Participants 2079 low birthweight infants born at term (>37 weeks’ gestation).
Main outcome measures Primary outcome was admission to hospital or death during the first six months of life. Main secondary outcome was growth.
Interventions Weekly vitamin D supplements for six months at a dose of one recommended nutrient intake per day (35 µg/week). Infants were visited weekly at home for observed supplementation and were brought to the clinic monthly for clinical examination and anthropometric measurements.
Results Between group differences were not significant for death or hospital admissions (92 among 1039 infants in the vitamin D group v 99 among 1040 infants in the placebo group; adjusted rate ratio 0.93, 95% confidence interval 0.68 to 1.29; P=0.68), or referral to the outpatient clinic for moderate morbidity. Vitamin D supplementation resulted in better vitamin D status as assessed by plasma calcidiol levels at six months. In adjusted analyses, vitamin D treatment significantly increased standard deviation (z) scores at six months for weight, length, and arm circumference and decreased the proportion of children with stunted growth (length for age z score ?2) or with arm circumference z scores of 2 or less.
Conclusion A weekly dose of vitamin D resulted in better vitamin D status and benefited the classic vitamin D function of bone growth but did not decrease the incidence of severe morbidity or death among young low birthweight infants.
Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00415402.
PDF is attached at bottom of this page
– – – – – – –
Too little, too late: 200 IU of vitamin D appears to be not enough if not added BEFORE birth.
See also VitaminDWiki
- All items in category Infant-Child and Vitamin D
- Vitamin D and Obstetrics Improving Pregnancy and Childbirth - presentations May 2011
- Why vitamin D reduces premature birth - April 2011
- Premature delivery associated with low vitamin D in Japanese women – Mar 2011
- Pregnancy bacterial vaginosis 3X more likely when low on vitamin D – Sept 2010
- abstract failed to mention the level of vitamin D, so it is not included in the matrix at the top of this page
- vitamin D and vaginosis - 2010.pdf
- 7X more likely to have low birth weight babies when mother very low on vitamin D – March 2010
- Premature delivery associated with low vitamin D in Japanese women – Mar 2011
- Arab pre-term infants often have less than 10 ng of vitamin D - 2010
- Vitamin D Recommendations
- many now recommend a MINIMUM 400 IU and some a MINIMUM 600 IU of vitamin D - following graph is on this page