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VITAMIN D NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF PREMATURE INFANTS SUPPLEMENTED WITH 500 IU VITAMIN D 2 PER DAY
Author(s) -
MARKESTAD T.,
AKSNES L.,
FINNE P. H.,
AARSKOG D.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1983.tb09763.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vitamin , vitamin d and neurology , physiology , pediatrics
. The vitamin D nutritional status of premature infants was assessed by determining plasma 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentrations before and during supplementation with 500 IU vitamin D 2 per day. Fifty‐one samples were collected from 25 healthy infants fed breast milk and a vitamin D 3 fortified formula. Gestational age was 32.2±2.4 weeks (mean ± 1 SD). 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels before supplementation correlated well with maternal values ( r =0.81). The infants' mean plasma concentration increased from 30.6±13.7 nmol/l (mean±1 SD) after birth to 46.3±10.5 nmol/l after 9±1 days ( p <0.0025), and to 65.3±16.6 nmol/l after 37±10 days of vitamin D 2 treatment ( p <0.0005). 25‐hydroxyvitamin D 2 and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D 3 were determined separately, and it appeared that the rise was accounted for by the D 2 fraction while 25‐hydroxyvitamin D 3 concentrations were unchanged. The results demonstrate that vitamin D 2 is well absorbed and hydroxylated in the 25 position by premature infants free of associated disease, and that a supplementation of 500 IU per day in addition to breast milk and a regular vitamin D fortified formula is adequate to rapidly establish 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels within the normal adult range.