The Importance of Vitamin D During Pregnancy
Vitamin D is not technically a vitamin, it is actually a prohormone produced photochemically in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol. Prohormones are substances that the body converts to a hormone. In fact, unlike other vitamins, only about 10 percent of the vitamin D the body needs comes from food (such as dairy products & oily fish), the rest the body makes for itself.
Not only does high vitamin D levels decrease your risk for Autism, but also several other disease processes including significantly lowering your risk for:
🔸5x less likely to develop preeclampsia
🔸Spontaneous abortion
🔸3x less likely to develop Gestational Diabetes
🔸C-Sections
🔸Preterm birth
🔸Bacterial vaginosis
And your baby's risk for
🔸Asthma
🔸Type I Diabetes
🔸Low IQ
In addition, infants born with strong levels of vitamin D, can become deficient after 8 weeks of age if not supplementing with vitamin D because so much is required for bone & tissue building in the body. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400IU daily, but check with your doctor regarding this.
Optimal levels range from 50nl-70nl. You can order a simple blood test online to check your levels & complete it at home. This is essential to do prior to supplementing as each individual makes vitamin D according to how much melanin in is their skin, along with other biological factors.
So how much do you need to take? This depends on your metabolic rate & will take trial & error to determine what your individual level needs, but on average taking 4000 IU is safe to consume according to a study produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
It is important to make sure your vitamin D supplement is the active form, D3, & that it also contains vitamin K2. When we take vitamin D supplements, they increase the calcium in our blood which can pose increased risk for calcifying arteries, therefore the K2 assists with transporting the calcium into the bones.
It is also recommended to take Magnesium along with this to manage the excess Calcium.