(Source: The University of Auckland) Many pregnant women in New Zealand should be taking vitamin D supplements to ensure their babies are not at risk of rickets. Young breastfed infants of Maori or Pacific Island women, or infants of women with dark skin or who are often covered or veiled when outdoors, are at the greatest risk of having low vitamin D levels. The mother's vitamin D level during pregnancy determines the vitamin D status of her newborn baby and remains an important determinant of vitamin D status while the infant remains exclusively breastfed. A study to determine the optimum vitamin D dose for pregnant women and infants has recently been completed in Auckland and was...
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