International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

New research has found that pregnant women are not getting enough vitamin D, which puts their babies at risk.

Vitamin D levels are raised for mothers-to-be by them taking pre-natal vitamin supplements but higher levels are needed, according to the study conducted by the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, US.

Professor Adit Ginde, lead author of the study, said: "We already know vitamin D is important for bone health of the mother and infant, but we are just starting to scratch the surface about the many potential health benefits of vitamin D during pregnancy."

The study, which is going to be published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, found that 70 per cent of pregnant women in the US did not have sufficient levels of vitamin D.

Women should take pre-natal vitamins a few months before getting pregnant to maximise the effects of them, Professor Ginde said.

A recent study conducted on women of child-bearing age in Africa found that taking vitamin A supplements during pregnancy does not reduce maternal or infant mortality rates.

Supplementing the vitamin A intake does not really have any impact upon newborn survival rates, said one of the main study researchers, Professor Betty Kirkwood from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Posted by David Smith