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Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Gross Motor Development of Healthy Term Infants: A Randomized Dose-Response

Brandy Wicklow1,2, Sina Gallo3, Annette Majnemer4

  • 1a The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba , Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada.

Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
|September 2, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Higher vitamin D doses did not improve infant motor skills. Unexpectedly, infants receiving 400 IU of vitamin D daily showed better gross motor development at six months. Longer infants were slightly delayed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Science
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Vitamin D is crucial for bone health and plays a role in muscle function in children and adults.
  • The impact of vitamin D supplementation on infant motor development requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between vitamin D dosage and gross motor development in infants at 3 and 6 months of age.
  • To test the hypothesis that higher vitamin D doses would lead to superior gross motor skills.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized trial involving 55 healthy, breastfed infants receiving daily vitamin D3 doses of 400 IU, 800 IU, or 1,200 IU.
  • Gross motor skills were assessed using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) at 3 and 6 months.
  • Plasma vitamin D3 metabolites were quantified using tandem mass spectrometry.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in AIMS scores were observed at 3 months.
  • At 6 months, infants receiving 400 IU/day demonstrated significantly higher total AIMS scores and sitting subscores compared to those receiving 800 IU/day or 1,200 IU/day.
  • Weak negative correlations were found between motor skills, infant length, and a specific vitamin D metabolite (C-3 epimer of 25(OH)D).

Conclusions:

  • Contrary to the hypothesis, the lowest vitamin D dosage (400 IU/day) was associated with enhanced gross motor achievements in infants at 6 months.
  • The findings suggest that higher vitamin D supplementation may not be beneficial for infant motor development and could potentially be associated with slight delays in longer infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
Alberta Infant Motor Scalegross motorinfant developmentinfant motor skillsvitamin D

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