New study reminds mums that babies need Vitamin D

We’ve always been told that breast is best.

But according to a recent study, children are at risk of being deficient in a vitamin that is key to their growth and overall health if they're breastfed beyond the first year. 

And the mystery vitamin is….Vitamin D!

That’s because although breastmilk is packed with nutrients, it does not contain sufficient amounts of vitamin D – vital for the development of healthy, strong bones.

The findings from the recent Canadian study are particularly significant for children living in ‘cold’ countries, like Ireland – our bodies use the sun’s rays to make Vitamin D, but we don’t get a whole lot of exposure to it.

And if your child isn’t receiving enough of the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, they can go on to develop health problems such as rickets or ‘brittle bones.’

The study, conducted by Dr. Jonathon Maguire at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada, measured the levels of Vitamin D in the blood of 2,500 Canadian children aged one to five.

The test results showed that for every month that a child was breastfed after her first birthday, the risk of being vitamin D deficient rose by 6%.

By the time the child was two, her risk of being Vitamin D deficient had reached 16%, and by the time she was three it had reached 29%.

The researchers found that the results were the same even if the children were eating solid food in addition to being breastfed, and this latest study builds on previous evidence which suggested this in the past.

The Health Service Executive recommends that Irish mums give their babies a vitamin D supplement, but that it should only be of a certain type.

According to the HSE website: “Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the preferred form of vitamin D for infants. The vitamin D3 product you use should be in a liquid form suitable for infants and contain only vitamin D3. Products that contain other vitamins as well as vitamin D (such as multivitamin products) should not be used.”

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