[News] Vitamin D urged in pregnant women
Most pregnant women should take vitamin D, say experts
Pregnant or breastfeeding women need to boost their intake of
vitamin D in the winter months, says the government.
The advice comes after doctors warned they were seeing increasing
cases of rickets in young children as a result of vitamin D
deficiency.
>> rickets
>> 軟骨病,佝僂病,駝背
Some minority ethnic groups in the UK, such as Asians, are
particularly at risk, says the Department of Health.
Vitamin D is made by the skin in response to sunlight, although it
can also be found in certain foods.
Dark-skinned people do not absorb as much sunlight through the
skin and may also wear clothing that limits exposure to the sun
for cultural reasons.
Mothers and babies are simply not getting enough of this
important vitamin
Paediatrician Dr Colin Michie
Research suggests the incidence of rickets could be as high as one
in 100 children among Asian, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern
ethnic minority groups.
Officials urged women to check if they were eligible for free
supplements from their GP or health visitor under the government's
Healthy Start scheme.
The programme provides vitamin D-rich milk and fresh fruit and
vegetables as well as supplements for those on benefits or women
who are under the age of 18 years old and pregnant.
Natural stores
Rickets is a bone disease that was common at the start of the last
century but was thought to be eradicated in the 1950s because of
better nutrition.
It can impair bone development leading to deformities as well as
poor tooth formation, stunted growth and general ill health.
Most people in the UK should get enough vitamin D from sunlight -
it only takes 15 minutes of sun exposure to the arms, head and
shoulders each day during the summer months to make enough vitamin
D for good health.
But in winter months at latitudes of 52 degrees north (above
Birmingham), there is no ultraviolet light of the appropriate
wavelength for the body to make vitamin D in the skin, research
shows.
There have been several reports of a "resurgence" of rickets in
recent years.
In June 2007, doctors in Dundee said they had seen several cases
and warned that guidelines on vitamin D for pregnant women were
being ignored.
Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said the Healthy Start scheme was
designed to improve the health of the most vulnerable families.
"We encourage people who are eligible to take advantage of the
free vitamins, to minimise the risk of developing vitamin D
deficiency and other conditions.
"We particularly encourage women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
to take vitamin D, to protect the health and wellbeing of their
baby and help them get the best possible start in life."
She added that children under the age of four may also benefit
from a supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.
Dr Colin Michie, a paediatrician at Ealing Hospital, says the
biggest problem is maternal shortage of vitamin D.
"Mothers and babies are simply not getting enough of this
important vitamin.
"If a pregnant or breastfeeding woman is lacking in vitamin D, the
baby will also have low vitamin D and calcium levels which can
lead babies to develop seizures in the first months of life."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7161458.stm
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