Standard dose vitamin D sufficient for bone mineral accretion in infants

A higher dose does not provide added benefits than a standard dose when it comes to vitamin D supplementation for bone mineral accretion in infants born with vitamin D insufficiency, as reported in a recent study.

Researchers conducted a prespecified secondary analysis of a double-blind randomized clinical trial that included 139 healthy term singletons (median gestational age at birth 39.5 weeks, 58.3 percent boys).

Capillary blood samples were collected between 24 and 36 hours after birth to measure serum total 25(OH)D concentrations, and infants with 25(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol/L were randomly assigned to receive either 1,000 IU (higher dose) or 400 IU (standard dose) per day of oral vitamin D3 supplementation from age 1 to 12 months. Infants with 25(OH)D concentrations of 50 nmol/L or greater formed a reference group.

The infants underwent tests including whole-body bone mineral content, lumbar spine bone mineral content, and bone mineral density using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and serum 25(OH)D3 using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry at age 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

A total of 49 infants were included in the 1,000 IU per day group, 49 in the 400 IU per day group, and 41 in the reference group. Mean serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations were significantly greater in the higher- vs the lower-dose group from age 3 to 12 months (3 months: 115.2 vs 77.4 nmol/L; 6 months: 121.6 vs 85.1 nmol/L; 12 months: 99.6 vs 82.3 nmol/L).

However, mean whole-body bone mineral content over time did not differ between the higher- and lower-dose groups (1000 IU per day: 173.09 g; 400 IU per day: 165.94 g). Likewise, lumbar spine bone mineral content or density was similar.