Abstract
Vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy.
Highlights
Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may be needed to protect against adverse pregnancy outcomes
Supplementation with vitamin D alone during pregnancy probably reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia (risk ratio (RR) 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30 to 0.79; 4 trials, 499 women, moderate-certainty evidence) and gestational diabetes (RR 0.51, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.27 to 0.97; 4 trials, 446 women, moderate-certainty evidence); and probably reduces the risk of having a baby with low birthweight (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.87; 5 trials, 697 women, moderate-certainty evidence) compared to women who received placebo or no intervention
Supplementing pregnant women with vitamin D alone probably reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birthweight and may reduce the risk of severe postpartum haemorrhage
Summary
Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may be needed to protect against adverse pregnancy outcomes. This is an update of a review that was first published in 2012 and in 2016. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which comes primarily from exposure to sunlight, and is found naturally only in a few foods, such as fish-liver oils, fatty fish, mushrooms, egg yolks, and liver (Holick 2007a; Holick 2008). Vitamin D2 ( called ergocalciferol) is synthesised by plants while vitamin D3 ( called cholecalciferol) is subcutaneously produced in humans from 7-dehydrocholecalciferol upon exposure to ultraviolet light B (UVB) radiation (DeLuca 2004). As vitamin D has a short half-life, adequate vitamin D intake is necessary in order to ensure sustained circulating levels
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