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Vitamin D supplementation during infancy is associated with higher bone mineral mass in prepubertal girls
S A Zamora1, R Rizzoli, D C Belli
1Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland. samuel.zamora@hcuge.ch
Insights
Vitamin D supplementation in infancy is linked to better bone health in childhood. This study found higher bone mineral density in girls who received vitamin D as babies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
- Bone Health Research
Background:
- Infant vitamin D supplementation is recommended for breastfed infants.
- Long-term effects on bone mineral density (BMD) in later childhood are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between vitamin D supplementation in the first year of life and bone mineral content and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in later childhood.
- To assess if early-life vitamin D status influences skeletal development in prepubertal girls.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 106 healthy prepubertal Caucasian girls (median age 8 years).
- Classification into vitamin D supplemented or unsupplemented groups based on infant feeding history.
- Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) used to measure bone area and bone mineral content at six skeletal sites.
- Analysis included vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms (BsmI).
Main Results:
- The vitamin D supplemented group (n=91) showed significantly higher aBMD at the radial metaphysis, femoral neck, and femoral trochanter compared to the unsupplemented group (n=15).
- Lumbar spine aBMD did not differ significantly between the groups.
- Multiple regression analysis confirmed that vitamin D supplementation was independently associated with higher femoral neck aBMD, even after accounting for height and VDR genotype.
Conclusions:
- Infancy vitamin D supplementation is associated with increased areal bone mineral density at specific skeletal sites in later childhood.
- Early nutritional interventions, like vitamin D supplementation, may have lasting positive effects on bone development.
- Further research could explore optimal dosing and long-term skeletal outcomes across diverse populations.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to determine whether vitamin D supplementation of breast-fed infants during the first year of life is associated with greater bone mineral content and/or areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in later childhood. The design was a retrospective cohort study. One hundred and six healthy prepubertal Caucasian girls (median age, 8 yr; range, 7-9 yr) were classified as vitamin D supplemented or unsupplemented during the first year of life on the basis of a questionnaire sent to participating families and their pediatricians. Bone area (square centimeters) and bone mineral content (grams) were determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at six skeletal sites. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) 3'-gene polymorphisms (BsmI) were also determined. The supplemented (n = 91) and unsupplemented (n = 15) groups were similar in terms of season of birth, growth in the first year of life, age, anthropometric parameters, and calcium intake at time of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. The supplemented group had higher aBMD at the level of radial metaphysis (mean +/- SEM, 0.301+/-0.003 vs. 0.283+/-0.008; P = 0.03), femoral neck (0.638+/-0.007 vs. 0.584+/-0.021; P = 0.01), and femoral trochanter (0.508+/-0.006 vs. 0.474+/-0.016; P = 0.04). At the lumbar spine level aBMD values were similar (0.626+/-0.006 vs. 0.598+/-0.019; P = 0.1). In a multiple regression model taking into account the effects of vitamin D supplementation, height, and VDR genotype on aBMD (dependent variable), femoral neck aBMD remained higher by 0.045 g/cm2 in the supplemented group (P = 0.02). Vitamin D supplementation in infancy was found to be associated with increased aBMD at specific skeletal sites later in childhood in prepubertal Caucasian girls.