Two recent articles in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism show that sunlight and vitamin D are important for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child.
One study that involved 253 women in Boston showed that women with vitamin D deficiency had four times the rate of cesarean sections as women with better vitamin D levles. The levels were measured using the blood test 25-OH Vitamin D which is the best measure of vitamin D status.
Another study shows that the level of ultraviolet B light exposure that women get in their third trimester of pregnancy may result in children that have more lean body mass (like muscle) and stronger bones. Vitamin D is naturally produced in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet B (from the sun). Most interestingly, the changes in the children’s lean body mass and bone strength were measured when the children were almost 10 years old!
While these studies are not conclusive, they add to the information that shows just how important vitamin D is for pregnant women and their children.
Be well,
Richard