Vitamin D and Babies

When your baby was born you were probably given a sample of Vitamin D drops and instructed to give them to your baby. But you probably didn’t find out why or just how important this little drop can be. I’m here to give you all the juicy details.

If I had to choose a favourite vitamin, this would be it. Vitamin D is a workhorse!

What is it?

-A vitamin that acts like a hormone.

What does it do?

-Classic role: bone health

-”new” role: immune system, nervous system, muscle function, cancer prevention, auto-immune disease prevention, cardiovascular health

How do you get it?

-Sun (May-September)

-Food

-Supplements

Current dose recommendation:

-IOM, Health Canada: 400 IU to 12 months, 600 IU 1-70 years

Is this enough?

-Studies conducted in Canada have shown that 30-50% of children and adults are deficient! 

-Amalgamating the results of studies from around the world, it is estimated that globally 1 billion people are deficient. 

Are people not getting enough time in the sun? Or not taking the recommended dietary dose? Is the recommended dose not high enough?

These questions are hotly debated in the world of nutrition. Here’s what we do know:

1. The current recommended doses will result in a blood level of vitamin D that is sufficient to prevent rickets.

What is still left for debate:

1. Would a higher blood level of vitamin D prevent cancer and autoimmune diseases?
2. Would a higher blood level of vitamin D protect against the development of allergies?

Safety of Vitamin D

Too much of a good thing does exist. At high blood concentrations Vitamin D can cause dangerously high levels of calcium in the blood (a condition called hypercalcaemia). Put forth by the Institute of Medicine, these are the safe maximum daily doses:

0-6 months : 1000 IU

6-12 months: 1500 IU

1-3 years: 2500 IU

Take this quiz! If you answer yes to any of these questions, discuss with your pediatrician whether your child may benefit from a higher dose of Vitamin D.