400 IU vitamin D for breastfed - American Association of Pediatrics

Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk

Text extracted from the PDF

Vitamin D de?ciency/insuf?ciency and rickets has increased in all infants as a result of decreased sunlight expo-

sure secondary to changes in lifestyle, dress habits, and use of topical sun-screen preparations.

To maintain an adequate serum vitamin D concentration, all breastfed infants routinely should receive an oral

supplement of vitamin D, 400 U per day, beginning at hospital discharge. 133

PDF attached at bottom of this page

See also VitaminDWiki

• Overview Moms and vitamin D

• Intervention of 400 IU of vitamin D raised infant blood levels 14 ng – Jan 2012

• Recommend 100 IU of vitamin D per kg of infant weight in Poland – July 2011

• 400 IU vitamin D daily was enough for most infants – Jan 2011

• Infants getting 1400 IU vitamin D weekly grew better – May 2011

• Only about 10 % of breastfed infants get even the minimum recommended vitamin D – April 2010

• A Finland study tried 2,000 IU dose for CHILDREN (10,000 children!)

  • They reported a significant decrease in type I diabetes decades later - NO toxicity, hypercalification, etc. etc.!

• More Calcium absorbed from formula than breast milk, lacking vitamin D – Aug 2012

  There are several ways to increase Calcium absorption (all increase the vitamin D)

1. Use formula which is fortified (infant milk is fortified in many, but not all countries)

2. Supplement mom with > 5,000 IU of vitamin D

3. Supplement infant with > 400 IU of vitamin D

4. Make sure the infant gets lots of sunshine (hard to do if far from equator, dark skin, etc)

See also web

• Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation during Lactation on Vitamin D Status and Body Composition of Mother-Infant Pairs: A MAVID Randomized Controlled Trial Sept 2014
  • tried both 400 and 1200 IU, neither provided any vitamin D in breast milk. Full text on-line