Is High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation During Pregnancy Beneficial for Childhood Bone Health?

Prenatal supplementation with 400 to 600 IU vitamin D is currently recommended — but is high-dose maternal supplementation even better for skeletal and anthropometric outcomes? Researchers performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial in Denmark involving 623 women and their offspring (584 children) to examine the effects of maternal receipt of 2400 IU vitamin D₃ in addition to standard supplementation (400 IU) versus placebo (standard supplementation alone) from 24 weeks' gestation to 1 week postpartum. The children's growth parameters and skeletal measures were evaluated with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at ages 3 and 6 years.

At 6 years, children whose mothers received sevenfold higher vitamin D supplementation had gr…