People in Louisiana may be avoiding the hot sun like those in Middle East

Reversed Seasonal Variation in Maternal Vitamin D Levels in Southern Louisiana

CLIN PEDIATR May 7, 2012

Mariam Gangat, MD

Tulasi Ponnapakkam, PhD tponnapa@montefiore.org

Elease Bradford, MSPH

Ranjitha Katikaneni, MBBS

Robert Gensure, MD, PhD

Vitamin D is critical in bone and mineral homeostasis, particularly in the prevention of rickets in children. Levels of vitamin D in cord blood were measured in a population from New Orleans as an index of maternal vitamin D status at the time of delivery. Cord blood samples from infants born during the summer and winter showed lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels compared with those from infants born during fall and spring, indicating an unusual pattern of seasonality where vitamin D levels were among the lowest in the season with the greatest sunlight . It is important to establish screening and supplementation guidelines based on observed regional trends and risk factors, in addition to considerations based on global recommendations.


See also VitaminDWiki

Tags: Sun