Vitamin D could help pregnant women: study

LONDON (Reuters) – Vitamin D supplements for pregnant women
could reduce osteoporosis in their children, according to
research published on Friday.

The British study showed that children whose mothers lacked
Vitamin D during pregnancy grow up to have weaker bones. A lack
of Vitamin D is common in women of child-bearing age.

Professor Cyrus Cooper and a team from Southampton General
Hospital in southern England studied almost 200 children born
in 1991 and 1992. Their body size and bone mass were tracked up
to the age of nine.

The study, published in The Lancet medical journal, showed
that women who took Vitamin D supplements or who were exposed
to higher levels of sunshine during pregnancy were less likely
to be deficient in the vitamin.

“These findings provide evidence that maternal Vitamin D
status during pregnancy influences the bone growth of the
offspring,” Cooper said.