Most US babies don't get enough vitamin D

[Sillygirl]

New study out today - even the FF babies are not getting enough vitamin D.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/22/vitamin.d.babies/index.html?hpt=Sbin

[maestramommy]

New study out today - even the FF babies are not getting enough vitamin D.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/22/vitamin.d.babies/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Wow, this makes me glad I've continued to give Laurel Vit D, even though she's getting quite a bit of formula these days.

[TwinFoxes]

We've been giving drops, what do you recommend Sillygirl?

And what do you recommend for adults for that matter? I've been on the vitamin D bandwagon since reading your informative posts.

[elliput]

This does not surprise me after finding out DS had a severe deficiency and was thought to possibly have Rickets. He now gets 800IU of Vit D a day in addition to direct sun exposure and fortified milk.

[Sillygirl]

This advice should not replace advice from your doctor or your child's doctor, who can evaluate and treat you based on your specific health concerns.

I used Tri-vi-sol drops (the poly-vi-sol taste nasty) until the kids were old enough to chew gummies. I think I gave one dropperful daily. My kids were exclusively BF and I wish now I had known enough to take my own Vitamin D at the time.

Now the boys are older, and I have been very happy with VitaFusion gummies - I get them at drugstore.com. One gummy is 500 units so my kids each get one daily. For myself, I take 2000 units daily - the brand I've found at the store is Nature's Daily, it's a single pill.

[bubbaray]

My respirologist/pulminologist recommends a minimum of 1000IU for adults with asthma.

If any of you ever visit Canada, the makers of Polyvisol/Trivisol make D-Vi-Sol here. It tastes like apple juice. One dropper = 400IU.

[maestramommy]

Katie, I had my Vit D levels tested in Dec, and the results came back as 20, which is read as a in sufficiency, not quite a deficiency. My PCP told me to take 1000IU a day and retest in 8 weeks, which I did. This time (I can't remember the number) it was one number below the accepted range, so I'm to continue taking the 1000IU and test again in 2 months. Should I be taking more? Do these ranges sound right to you?

[Sillygirl]

Melinda - I PMd you.

[elliput]

If any of you ever visit Canada, the makers of Polyvisol/Trivisol make D-Vi-Sol here. It tastes like apple juice. One dropper = 400IU.

We can get D-Vi-Sol here also. Emfamil brand is what I found at BRU. It sure doesn't taste like apple juice to me though...

[bubbaray]

Huh. I thought it wasn't sold in the US -- is it new to the market there? I know we've discussed this before.... OK, I'm weird, b/c it definitely tasted like apple juice to me.

[DrSally]

I'm Bfing and take 2000 IU's (Costco brand). DD gets trivisol (400 IU's), and DS gets Lil Critter's (400 IU's). I've convinced DH to start taking 2000 IU's as well (he works 16 hour days and gets no sun whatsoever). I've forwarded this info to friends, and haven't convinced anyone to give their babies/kids vit D :(
Interesting about the formula fed babies not getting enough either.

So, for this study, they looked at vit D ingestion, instead of blood levels. My question is that even if you are taking the recommended amount of vit D supplement, it's still possible to have an insufficient level in your body, right? I think there have been previous posters who supplement but still came back testing with really low levels. What causes this? Is it prudent to still get tested even if you're supplementing?

[Katigre]

I give Carlson's D drops b/c they don't have additional ingredients (including additional vitamins that are unnecessary for a bf infant). I've been really happy with their quality and they are dye-free/color-free/tasteless so DD and DS both like them: Carlson's Baby D Drops (http://www.evitamins.com/product.asp?pid=14069)

I also make an effort to get my kids in the sun without sunscreen when the weather is nice. I think that some sun is good for our bodies and I'm not convinced that synthetic supplements are fully able to replicate what our body's sun exposure creates naturally when it comes to Vit D needs.

For bigger kids, DS likes both Animal Parade Vit D chewables and Solaray Sunny D gummies (these give 1000IU). DH and I take Carlson's Vit D capsules.

[Katigre]

Wanted to add, if you are breastfeeding and do not want to supplement your child, you can supplement yourself with 6000IU/day and it is the equivalent of your baby getting 400IU in supplements. Here is the study showing that: High-Dose Vitamin D3 Supplementation in a Cohort of Breastfeeding Mothers and Their Infants: A 6-Month Follow-Up Pilot Study (http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/bfm.2006.1.59)

I checked with the hospital-based IBCLC who ran the supplement recc's in that article by the hospital nutritionist and they both gave it the ok too.

(This is what I did with DD until she was older and eating foods b/c I really wasn't comfortable giving a 100% bf baby with a virgin gut unnecessary supplements if it could be avoided)

[salsah]

thanks for posting this. my girls don't drink much milk and don't get much sun (thanks to sunblock) and DH is struggling with a vit. D deficiency (and the resulting inability absorb enough calcium which led to low bone density at a young age).

thanks to katie for posting this, i'm going order some supplements for the girls and me (dh is already on prescription supplements).

[salsah]

i'm shopping for vit D supplements and am wondering (i hope this isn't a stupid question) what is the difference between D and D3 and which should i get for my dc? also, should i get calcium plus D (especially since my dc don't drink milk)?

tia!

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

i'm shopping for vit D supplements and am wondering (i hope this isn't a stupid question) what is the difference between D and D3 and which should i get for my dc? also, should i get calcium plus D (especially since my dc don't drink milk)?

tia!

D3 is more "bioavailable". So the body uses it more efficiently/ wastes less.



DD gets 400 IU D3 from her multi, 200 IU from her Calcium gummy vits, and 500 IU D3 from Animal Parade brand D supplement.

[garnetgirl]

I give my breastfed infant Carlson Baby D drops (400 IU) which are D3 (cholecalciferol). I like that they don't contain added colors or flavorings. At Whole Foods I paid $18 for a little bottle that says it contains 365 drops; per instructions I put one drop on my nipple before baby feeds. At first it seemed an odd way to dispense, but it works fine. The drops can also be put onto a pacifier, but I've never tried that.

[strollerqueen]

Are there any harmful side affects from taking too much?

[Sillygirl]

Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so it is possible to overdose since the body will store excess. The only OD I've seen happened when a patient of mine was discharged from the hospital. A computer error printed out his weekly 50,000 unit dose as a daily one, and his PCP, who didn't know what he was doing, gave him several refills; luckily I had a visit with him a few weeks after discharge. His level was 160 (target is 30-80). And the patient was mad at me for taking him off it because he swore he felt a lot better.