Vitamins are micronutrients that are essential for the healthy functioning of human bodies.
Vitamin D is a unique vitamin that is available through an environmental source – sunlight, When the UV rays (UVB) from the sunlight fall on our skin, Vitamin D is produced in the skin and is then absorbed in the blood.
Breast milk contains only 10 % of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D (also known as the sunshine vitamin).
Recent studies show that more vitamin D or sunshine during infancy is associated with
the maintenance of good overall health. To ensure adequate vitamin D levels in breast-fed infants, Health Canada and the Canadian Pediatric Society recommend that babies should be given a vitamin D
supplement starting from birth onwards.
proper functioning of your immune system
absorb calcium and develop strong bone
Strong teeth
increase muscle strength
Health Canada recommends a daily intake of 400 International Units (“IU”) of vitamin D3. It is Vitamin D which will make your child able to play around without difficulty and with good strength and energy. Vitamin D helps develop strong bones, teeth, muscles and immune system.
Vitamin D helps prevent rickets. Rickets is a condition of softening of the bones that can occur in growing children.
As the name goes, a lower level of Vitamin D in the body is termed as Vitamin D deficiency. Then what is Vitamin D insufficiency?
Well, it’s the blood level of Vitamin D measured in the form of serum 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D (calcidiol) that determines it.
The answer depends on several factors, including your age and where you live.
To get enough vitamin D from the sun or food alone is difficult. For example, you will need to eat at least a carton of eggs just to get your minimum daily intake. That’s a lot of eggs! This is why supplements are a welcomed option.
| Life Stage Group | Daily Requirement | Daily Upper Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 0-12 months | 400-1,000 IU | 2,000 IU |
| 1-3 years | 600-1,000 IU | 4,000 IU |
| 4-8 years | 600-1,000 IU | 4,000 IU |
| 9-18 years | 600-1,000 IU | 4,000 IU |
*Endocrine Society Guideline
Breast milk usually does not provide all the vitamin D a baby needs, so breastfed babies will need a supplement of 400 IU of vitamin D per day beginning shortly after birth.
Infant formulas are fortified with vitamin D, a supplement of 200 IU of vitamin D per day for the first 12 months of life.
References:
Makin, H.L. et. al. vitamin D and its metabolites in human breast milk. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1983. Vol. 58 p. 750-753
Vitamin D supplementation: Recommendations for Canadian Mothers and Infants. Canadian Pediatric Society. 2007.
Vitamin D supplementation for Breastfed infants; 2004 Health Canada Recommendation.
