Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Prevent Osteoporosis

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Dr. Mercola

January 24 2006

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Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Prevent Osteoporosis

Pregnancy Additional Vitamin D for pregnant women could help prevent osteoporotic fractures in their children, according to a new study.

Tracking Nutritional Habits and Health

Researchers tracked the health of nearly 200 British children born from 1991-92, along with the health, nutritional habits and vitamin D intake of their mothers.

Then, they followed up with health exams on those children at age 9 to learn how those variables affected bone health.

Weaker Bones

Children whose mothers didn't get enough vitamin D by taking a supplement or getting enough sunshine grew up with weaker bones, increasing their risks of osteoporosis later in life.

Sources:

Medical News Today January 7, 2006

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Most everyone knows how important vitamin D is in keeping your bones strong. However, many are unaware that this benefit will also extend to your children if you maintain optimum vitamin D levels during your pregnancy.

Optimizing your sun exposure and levels of vitamin D may, indeed, be one of the most important physical steps you can take in support of your long-term health. In fact, getting the right amount of vitamin D treats and prevents a variety of ailments and diseases, including:

Protection against multiple sclerosis (MS)
Prevention of diabetes
Signaling any cancer cells in your colon, breast and prostate to stop growing abnormally and eventually succumb to programmed cell death

However, the best way to increase your vitamin D levels -- getting enough sunshine -- can be very challenging during these colder, shorter days of winter for those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere.

That's why I recommend taking a high-quality cod liver oil during the winter, and switching back to fish oil as the weather warms up. I have researched and tried many brands, and the one I recommend most highly is Carlson's.

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Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D Deficiency is Major Health Risk

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