Contents
- From birth: what is vitamin D used for?
- Why are our babies given vitamin D?
- Vitamin D needs: how many drops per day and until what age?
- Should you take vitamin D during pregnancy?
- Vitamin D, for adults too!
- Where is vitamin D naturally found?
- Adverse effects, nausea, fatigue: what are the risks of an overdose?
Vitamin D is essential to the body. It plays an essential role in bone growth since it allows the assimilation of calcium and phosphorus by the body. It therefore prevents soft bone disease (rickets). While supplements may be recommended at any age, they are essential during pregnancy and for newborns. Be careful of the overdose!
From birth: what is vitamin D used for?
If it is essential for development of the skeleton and dentition of the child, vitamin D also facilitates the functioning of the muscles, the nervous system and participates in the improvement of the immune defenses. She has a preventive role since, thanks to it, the child constitutes its calcium capital to prevent long-term osteoporosis.
New studies tend to prove that a balanced intake of vitamin D would also prevent asthma, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and even certain cancers.
Why are our babies given vitamin D?
Limited exposure – in order to protect baby’s skin – to the sun, and winter periods reduce skin photosynthesis of vitamin D. In addition, the more pigmented baby’s skin, the greater his needs.
We must be all the more careful if our child follows a vegetarian or vegan diet, because excluding meat, fish, eggs, even dairy products, the risk of vitamin D deficiency is real and significant.
Breastfeeding or infant milk: is there a difference in the daily dose of vitamin D?
We do not always know it, but breast milk is poor in vitamin D and infant formula, even if they are systematically fortified with vitamin D, do not provide enough to meet the baby’s needs. It is therefore necessary to provide a slightly larger vitamin D supplement in general if you are breastfeeding.
On average, therefore, newborns have extra vitamin D for up to 18 or 24 months. From this moment and up to 5 years, a supplement is administered only in the winter. Always on medical prescription, this supplementation can continue until the end of growth.
Forget it: if we forgot to give him his drops …
If we forgot the day before, we can double the dose, but if we systematically forget, our pediatrician may offer an alternative in the form of cumulative doses, in ampoule for example.
Vitamin D needs: how many drops per day and until what age?
For infants up to 18 months
The child needs every day 1000 units of vitamin D (IU) maximum, that is to say three to four drops of pharmaceutical specialties which one finds in the trade. The dosage will depend on the pigmentation of the skin, the conditions of sunlight, a possible prematurity. The ideal is to be as regular as possible in taking the medication.
From 18 months and up to 6 years
During the winter (in case of confinement possibly also), when exposure to the sun is reduced, the doctor prescribes 2 doses in ampoule of 80 or 000 IU (international units), spaced three months apart. Remember to write a reminder on your mobile phone or in your diary so as not to forget, because sometimes pharmacies do not deliver the two doses at once!
After 6 years and until the end of growth
On women either two ampoules or one ampoule per year of vitamin D, but dosed at 200 IU. Vitamin D can thus be given two or three years after the start of menstruation for girls, and up to 000-16 years for boys.
Before 18 years and if our child is in good health and does not present any risk factors, we should not exceed an average of 400 IU per day. If our child has a risk factor, the daily limit not to be exceeded is doubled, or 800 IU per day.
Should you take vitamin D during pregnancy?
« During the 7th or 8th month of pregnancy, pregnant women are recommended to supplement vitamin D, mainly to avoid calcium deficiency in the newborn, known as neonatal hypocalcemia., explains Prof. Hédon. In addition, it has been noted that the intake of vitamin D during pregnancy would have a beneficial effect on reducing allergies in babies and would also participate in the good general condition and well-being of the pregnant woman. The dosage is based on a single oral intake of one ampoule (100 IU). »
Vitamin D, for adults too!
We too need vitamin D to strengthen our immune systems and strengthen our bones. So we talk to our GP about it. Doctors generally recommend for adults one bulb of 80 IU to 000 IU every three months or so.
Where is vitamin D naturally found?
Vitamin D is produced by the skin in contact with sunlight, then stored in the liver in order to be available to the body; it can also be provided in part by food, in particular by fatty fish (herring, salmon, sardines, mackerel), eggs, mushrooms or even cod liver oil.
The opinion of the nutritionist
« Some oils are fortified with vitamin D, even going so far as to cover 100% of the daily requirement with 1 tbsp. But having a sufficient intake of vitamin D, without sufficient intake of calcium in addition, is not very effective because vitamin D then has little to fix on the bone! Dairy products fortified with vitamin D are interesting because not only do they contain vitamin D, but also the calcium and proteins necessary for good bone strength, both in children and in adults. », Explains Dr Laurence Plumey.
Adverse effects, nausea, fatigue: what are the risks of an overdose?
Vitamin D overdose can lead to:
- increased thirst
- nausea
- more frequent urination
- balance disorders
- very tired
- confusions
- convulsions
- a coma
The risks are all the more important in children under one year of age since their kidney function is not mature and that they may be more sensitive to hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood) and its effects on the kidneys.
This is why it is strongly not recommended to consume vitamin D without medical advice and to resort to over-the-counter dietary supplements rather than drugs, the doses of which are appropriate for each age – especially for babies!