Infant infection reduced by half with vitamin D supplementation – RCT

Effect of vitamin D supplementation, directly or via breast milk for term infants, on serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D and related biochemistry, and propensity to infection: a randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Br J Nutr. 2016 May 17:1-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Chandy DD1, Kare J2, Singh SN2, Agarwal A3, Das V3, Singh U3, Ramesh V4, Bhatia V1.

1Department of Endocrinology,Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences,Lucknow 226014,India.

2Department of Pediatrics,Queen Mary's Hospital,King George's Medical University,Lucknow 226003,India.

3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,Queen Mary's Hospital,King George's Medical University,Lucknow 226003,India.

4Department of Clinical Chemistry,Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences,Lucknow 226014,India.

230 pairs for 9 months Number of days with respiratory or diarrhoeal infection
120,000 IU
monthly mother		 400 IU
daily infant		 Placebo
19 days 13 days 47 days
See also VitaminDWiki * Third study found that Infants needed 1600 IU of vitamin D – JAMA RCT May 2013 * Breastfeeding mother getting 6400 IU of Vitamin D is similar to infant getting 400 IU – RCT Sept 2015 * study on this page should have used at least 192,000 IU monthly (30 X 6400) * Vitamin D required for breastfed infants – daily or monthly, infant or mother – Jan 2017 1. Infant-Child category starts with {include}

We assessed the effect of vitamin D supplementation on related biochemistry, infection and dentition of the infant. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in Lucknow, India (latitude 26°N), 230 mother -newborn pairs were randomised to receive, for 9 months, 3000µg/month oral vitamin D3 by the mother (group A) or 10 µg/d by the infant (group B ) or double placebo (group C).

All babies received 15 min of sun exposure (unclothed) during massage.

Infants' median 25-hydroxyvitamin D ( 25(OH)D) was lower in group C (median 45·3; interquartile range (IQR) 22-59·5 nmol/l) than in groups A (median 60·8; IQR 41·3-80·5 nmol/l (P7.5µkat/l) was significantly more frequent in group C babies (16 %) than in group A (4 %) or group B (0 %) babies. The number of days with respiratory or diarrhoeal infection by 9 months of age was higher in group C (median 46·5; IQR 14·8-73·3 d) than in group A (median 18·5; IQR 8·8-31·0 d (P<0·01)) or group B (median 13·0; IQR 7·0-28·5 (P<0·05)). We conclude that monthly maternal or daily infant supplementation with vitamin D along with sun exposure is superior to sun exposure alone in maintaining normal infant 25(OH)D at 3·5 months, and provide protection from elevated alkaline phosphatase and infectious morbidity.

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