11 October 2013
A new review concludes that babies with sufficient vitamin D intakes seem to have a reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes later in life.
The review and meta-analysis included all available observational studies examining vitamin D intake during pregnancy or early infancy and compared the intakes to the risk of getting diabetes type 1 later in life (1). The analysis showed that babies who received vitamin D supplements in infancy were 29% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes later in life in comparison to the infants who did not get additional vitamin D. In addition, a statistically not significant 5% reduction in the offspring’s risk of getting diabetes type 1 was observed in the mothers who supplemented during pregnancy compared to those who did not.
The researchers concluded that these results supported the hypothesis that vitamin D can help to prevent type 1 diabetes. However, it is still not clear at what stage of development adequate intakes are most im-portant: during pregnancy or infancy. The fact that the analysis did not show a significant association in pregnancy may be because the mothers had not gotten enough vitamin D to see a larger effect in these studies, the scientists noted. More studies on vitamin D intake during pregnancy and the diabetes risk of offspring are needed as there are relatively few studies of this type compared to those examining supple-mentation in early infancy.
1 October 2011
Embryonic and fetal development, as well as the early life of a newborn, are periods of physiological plasticity during which environmental influences may produce long-term effects. Both undernutrition and overnutrition during these periods have been shown to change disease risk in adulthood. These effects are influenced by the type, timing and duration of inappropriate nutrition.
1 January 2016
It is a universal wish of parents around the globe that their children should sleep longer, deeper and wake as little as possible. There is growing evidence that good sleep is important for the child’s mental development. This article will examine whether simple nutritional intervention, for example with foods high in marine omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins or tryptophan can improve children’s sleep.
2 August 2013
Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may have no preventive effect against childhood wheezing when started too late, suggests a new UK study.
