Several studies in countries with ‘western lifestyles’ have shown that over half of all babies are born deficient in vitamin D3 because their mothers were deficient in the vitamin during the pregnancy. The problem is particularly severe in babies whose mothers have black or brown skins, because:

• the denser pigment in their skin filters out more UVB, thus reducing their body’s ability to produce vitamin D3
• for both cultural and socio-economic reasons, most US Afro-Caribbean people do not get or take much sun

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Vitamin D3 deficiency affects the development of most of the baby’s organs and functions, including the brain and skeleton.
Breastfeeding, although by far the best source of nutrition for a baby in general, cannot help here. Even the breastmilk of mothers with good levels themselves does not contain much D3, so other sources must be sought. Until the baby is weaned there are two solutions.

Ed.- (i) On sunny days from May to September, the quickest way to correct vitamin D3 deficiency in babies is to put them outside under a sunshade. Even indirect exposure of the eyes and skin to the ultraviolet B (UVB) light in sunlight for an hour or so will trigger significant vitamin D3 production by their bodies. Do not put the baby behind glass or give them sunglasses as these filter out nearly all the UVB. Never expose a baby to direct sunlight for more than ten minutes.

(ii) One study found that regularly giving boys a 2,000iu vitamin D3 supplement during the first year of life reduced their risk of developing schizophrenia in adulthood by nearly a quarter [1] Another study found that regularly giving babies a vitamin D supplement during the first year of life reduced their risk of developing type 1 diabetes in adulthood [2]

(iii) Recommending the standard 200iu level of vitamin D3 for breastfeeding mothers and babies seems quite irresponsible, given the 50+% rate of vitamin D3-deficient babies noted above.

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