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

Aherence to vitamin D recommendations among US infants.

Pediatrics. 2010 Apr;125(4):627-32. Epub 2010 Mar 22.
Perrine CG, Sharma AJ, Jefferds ME, Serdula MK, Scanlon KS.
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Office of Workforce and Career Development, and Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. cgregory@cdc.gov

OBJECTIVES: In November 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doubled the recommended daily intake of vitamin D for infants and children, from 200 IU/day (2003 recommendation) to 400 IU/day. We aimed to assess the prevalence of infants meeting the AAP recommended intake of vitamin D during their first year of life.

METHODS: Using data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, conducted from 2005 to 2007, we estimated the percentage of infants who met vitamin D recommendations at ages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 9, and 10.5 months (n = 1952-1633).

RESULTS: The use of oral vitamin D supplements was low, regardless of whether infants were consuming breast milk or formula, ranging from 1% to 13%, varying by age. Among infants who consumed breast milk but no formula, only 5% to 13% met either recommendation.
Among mixed-fed infants, 28% to 35% met the 2003 recommendation, but only__ 9% to 14% would have met the 2008 recommendation.
__
Among those who consumed formula but no breast milk, 81% to 98% met the 2003 recommendation,
but only 20% to 37% would have met the 2008 recommendation.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that most US infants are not consuming adequate amounts of vitamin D according to the 2008 AAP recommendation.
Pediatricians and health care providers should encourage parents of infants who are either breastfed or consuming <1 L/day of infant formula to give their infants an oral vitamin D supplement.

PMID: 20308221

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