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Image via Wikipedia Dutch researchers have reported that affordable vitamin D supplements given to pregnant women may work to prevent a respiratory disease called RSV in newborns. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to pneumonia and other potentially life threatening diseases.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it is the most common cause of pneumonia and inflammation of the lower airways in newborns in the United States today. Many children recover without problems from this but there are also many who require hospitalization and will develop respiratory problems which will follow them well into childhood.
Dr. Luis Bont of the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital and the University Medical Center in Utrecht was quoted as saying “We have no treatment for RSV. The only thing we can do is try to prevent the disease,”
He went on to say that while there are presently no prescribed guidelines that one way to prevent RSV is for pregnant women to supplement with vitamin D.
Pregnant women who do not take vitamin D supplements have lower levels of this important nutrient in the umbilical cord blood giving the infant an increased risk of RSV.
Dr. Bont also feels that along with preventing RSV taking vitamin D supplements during the late stages of pregnancy could possibly prevent other respiratory diseases as well.
About 5 million children are affected by RSV in the United States each year. Bont feels that with vitamin D supplementation this number could be reduced by 20% or a total of 1 million cases.
While vitamin D has many important functions in the body for infants it helps to shape and mature the immune system as well as aiding the respiratory system to develop.
In the study the level of vitamin D was measured in the umbilical cord blood of 156 newborns. It showed that 54% had lower than adequate levels and of those 18% developed RSV in the first year of life.
While this and other research has shown an association between this affordable supplement and the prevention of RSV to actually establish a cause and effect relationship clinical trials will have to be performed.
Dr. Bont’s report was published in the online version of Pediatrics, May 9th edition.
Vitamin D is must for the immune system of the human body. The lack of vitamin D may cause many incurable diseases. Many natural as well as human made supplements are available to overcome this. Ex. fish oil, code live oil, eggs etc.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteVitamin D plays an very important role for healthy life.Really very much important information posted here..
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