New Research Shows Vitamin D Has Zero Benefit To Fetal Growth

Shocking new data has revealed that vitamin D has zero benefit to fetal growth.

A new and surprising study of more than a thousand women, showed that even when deficient in vitamin D, that giving high doses from mid-way through the pregnancy and six months after birth, there were no measurable benefits to fetal growth than those not taking vitamin D.

“Vitamin D supplementation was given to women during the latter half of pregnancy and in the postpartum period improved biochemical markers of vitamin D status and reduced the risk of vitamin D deficiency, as expected.

However, even at higher than conventional doses, vitamin D supplementation did not have effects on infant growth up to 1 year of age,” first author Daniel Roth, MD, Ph.D., an associate professor in the departments of pediatrics and nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, Ontario, told Medscape Medical News.

The results of the Maternal Vitamin D for Infant Growth (MDIG) trial, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine did a random study, splitting the test subjects up into placebo participants and women who were given doses of vitamin D.

They also studied eleven hundred and sixty-four infants after birth until they had reached their first birthday. Each of the participants showed little differences across the two groups which benefit to fetal growth.

“Due to a lack of previous robust evidence, the World Health Organization has not recommended routine vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy,” Roth explained.

“We conclude that the present findings support this position, even in communities where vitamin D deficiency and fetal–infant growth restriction are endemic.”

When it approached the research on participants who were deficient, benefits were expected from the high doses of vitamin D and benefit to fetal growth over this time period, yet, as Roth explained, the results did not match up with the expectation. Leading researchers to conclude that the hypothesis that prenatal vitamin D is not a factor in the six of a newborn.

Although women in all groups of the current study were offered iron, folic acid, and calcium as routine co-supplements, Roth noted it is possible the women could have been lacking other micronutrients important for fetal and infant growth.

The study received support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. N Engl J Med. 2018;379:535-546. Full text