Vitamin D Supplementation May Help Reduce Wheezing in Black Preemies

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

Sustained vitamin D supplementation seems to reduce risk for recurrent wheeze among black preterm infants, according to a randomized trial in JAMA.

Researchers enrolled 300 black infants born between 28 and 37 weeks' gestation. All infants received a multivitamin (containing 400 IU vitamin D) until they could tolerate oral feedings and were receiving 200 IU of vitamin D in fortified human milk or infant formula. After this point, the sustained-supplementation group received 400 IU per day of vitamin D, while the diet-limited supplementation group received placebo. Supplementation or placebo was continued until 6 months' adjusted age.

By 12 months' adjusted age, recurrent wheezing was more common among those in the diet-limited supplementation group than in the sustained supplementation group (42% vs. 31% of infants). The rates of upper and lower respiratory tract infections between the groups weren't statistically different.

An editorialist notes that longer follow-up is needed to see if the benefits of vitamin D supplementation persist