Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Short Communication
  • Published:

Vitamin D status in infants: relation to nutrition and season

Abstract

In a cross-sectional study, the primary objective was to assess the plasma concentration of 25–hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in healthy 9-month-old infants (n=255). The secondary objective was to evaluate nutritional variables and season in relation to 25(OH)D. The concentration of 25(OH)D was 77.2±22.7 nmol/l (mean±s.d.), ranging from 12 to 151 nmol/l. During the first 9 months, 97% received vitamin D supplementation (10 μg/day) and 89% had sufficient levels of 25(OH)D (50–250 nmol/l). In multiple regression analysis, controlled for body mass index (BMI) and intake of infant formula, a longer period of exclusive breastfeeding (P=0.026) and breastfeeding at 9 months (P=0.001) were both associated with lower levels. Dietary vitamin D intake was 4.4±3.1 μg/day and in multiple regression analysis, controlled for BMI, intake of infant formula and mean energy intake, it was positively associated with 25(OH)D (P=0.001). There was a significant seasonal difference in 25(OH)D, with higher levels during summer−autumn compared with winter−spring (P=0.021) after control for BMI.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen R, Molgaard C, Skovgaard LT, Brot C, Cashman KD, Chabros E et al. (2005). Teenage girls and elderly women living in northern Europe have low winter vitamin D status. Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 533–541.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beck-Nielsen SS, Jensen TK, Gram J, Brixen K, Brock-Jacobsen B (2009). Nutritional rickets in Denmark: a retrospective review of children's medical records from 1985 to 2005. Eur J Pediatr 168, 941–949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon CM, Feldman HA, Sinclair L, Williams AL, Kleinman PK, Perez-Rossello J et al. (2008). Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among healthy infants and toddlers. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 162, 505–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greer FR (2008). 25-hydroxyvitamin D: functional outcomes in infants and young children. Am J Clin Nutr 88, 529S–533S.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen A, Schack-Nielsen L, Larnkjaer A, Molgaard C, Michaelsen K (2010). Determinants of blood glucose and insulin in healthy 9 month old term Danish infants; the SKOT cohort. Diabet Med 27, 1350–1357.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Misra M, Pacaud D, Petryk A, Collett-Solberg PF, Kappy M (2008). Vitamin D deficiency in children and its management: review of current knowledge and recommendations. Pediatrics 122, 398–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen P, Michaelsen KF, Molgaard C (2003). Children with nutritional rickets referred to hospitals in Copenhagen during a 10-year period. Acta Paediatr 92, 87–90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vieth R (2006). What is the optimal vitamin D status for health? Prog Biophys Mol Biol 92, 26–32.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner CL, Greer FR (2008). Prevention of rickets and Vitamin D deficiency in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics 122, 1142–1152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner D, Hanwell HEC, Vieth R (2009). An evaluation of automated methods for measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Clin Biochem 42, 1549–1556.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by The Danish Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business. The food records were analysed at the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, and 25(OH)D at Aalborg University Hospital, FBE Clinical Biochemistry South. Inge Rasmussen, Julie Brønholm, Linnea Söderlind, Tina Barsøe and Vivian Anker are gratefully acknowledged for assisting in data collection. We express our sincere appreciations to the families and their infants for participating in SKOT.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K Arnberg.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest. However, since completing the data collection and primary analysis, the first author of the manuscript has been working in a company that is, among other products, producing formulas.

Additional information

Contributors: ALM and MØ collected the data. MØ undertook the statistical analyses and wrote the paper in collaboration with KA. CM and KFM designed the study. HK performed the vitamin D analyses. ET analysed the food records. All contributed to the paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Østergård, M., Arnberg, K., Michaelsen, K. et al. Vitamin D status in infants: relation to nutrition and season. Eur J Clin Nutr 65, 657–660 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.285

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.285

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links