When a woman discovers that she is pregnant, she is bound to make a number of substantial lifestyle changes. As well as giving up harmful habits like smoking, it is essential for expectant mothers to reevaluate their diets during this time to ensure that they are obtaining all the nutrients they need for their infants’ healthy development. Recently, researchers from Kingston University of London released a study that highlights the negative ramifications of one particular vitamin deficiency during pregnancy.
We’ve touched upon the importance of vitamin D in several recent posts. In addition to facilitating the absorption of calcium for bone strength, this nutrient bolsters the immune system and promote brain health. Though it can be derived from sunlight, vitamin D is not found in many foods.
A press release from the university states that mothers may pass down their vitamin D deficiencies to their newborn children to a greater degree than previous research has indicated. Instead of accounting for roughly 19 percent of an infant’s supply of the sunshine vitamin, a pregnant woman’s nutrient levels could dictate as much as 56 percent.
“The impact that mothers deficient in vitamin D have on their babies’ levels is a much bigger problem than we thought,” Professor Declan Naughton said in the release.
Based on these findings, Naughton argued that expectant mothers must work to incorporate more vitamin D in their diets, as it is “clearly of vital importance for both mothers’ and babies’ long-term health.”
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