Research from the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton (UHS) in the UK has shown that taking vitamin D during pregnancy leads to stronger bones in children by age seven.
The findings suggest that maternal vitamin D supplementation provides lasting benefits for bone health in children.
Bone density measurements reveal that children born to mothers who took vitamin D during pregnancy have increased bone mineral density by mid-childhood. These children’s bones contain higher levels of calcium and other minerals, making them less prone to fractures.
The findings, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, add to the growing body of research on the long-term benefits of vitamin D. The research was funded by Versus Arthritis, the Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Bupa Foundation.
University of Southampton NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Child Health Rebecca Moon, who led the analysis, said: “Our findings show that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy persist into mid-childhood. This early intervention represents an important public health strategy. It strengthens children’s bones and reduces the risk of conditions like osteoporosis and fractures in later life.”
Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating calcium and phosphate levels in the body, both crucial for bone, teeth, and muscle health. In 2009, the MAVIDOS study enrolled over 1,000 pregnant women from Southampton, Oxford, and Sheffield.
The women were randomly assigned to one of two groups with one receiving an additional 1,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily, and the other a placebo. Neither participants nor healthcare providers were informed of the group assignments.
Previous studies assessed these children’s bone health at age four, showing higher bone mass among those whose mothers had taken vitamin D. The latest study followed up with 454 children aged six to seven, confirming that these benefits extended through to mid-childhood.
Vitamin D supplements are now routinely recommended for pregnant women in the UK. Researchers from the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre (MRC LEC) and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) have examined the impact of maternal vitamin D on offspring bone health.
In 2018, they observed that vitamin D supplementation altered gene activity within vitamin D pathways. In 2022, they found supplementation could reduce the risk of atopic eczema in infants under one year and increase the likelihood of spontaneous vaginal delivery.
