Vitamin D at term of pregnancy and during lactation in white and black women living in Northern Italy.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluate the vitamin D serum status in a population of white and black mothers who live in the same geographic area of northern Italy (45 degrees 8' N of latitude) and its correlation with vitamin D serum concentrations of the respective newborns at birth, at 2 and 12 months.


METHODS
Twelve white woman-infant pairs and 12 black woman-infant pairs were recruited from January through March 2006. The study population had no pre-existing disease and delivered at term of pregnancy (37-41 weeks of gestational age). Only black infants were given vitamin D supplementation from birth to 1 year of age.


RESULTS
Eleven black and 12 white women had low vitamin D serum levels at term of pregnancy. Similarly, black and white newborns were both vitamin D deficient at birth. After 12 months white women re-gained physiological vitamin D serum levels, whereas black women maintained a status of vitamin D deficiency. Black newborns who were given supplementation showed lower vitamin D serum concentrations as compared with white newborns at 1 year of age.


CONCLUSIONS
These data showed that all the women living in the same region of northern Italy without any supplementation are equally vitamin D deficient at term of pregnancy regardless of their skin pigmentation. Consequently, every woman should be supplied with additional vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation, though such supplementation seems to exert the most beneficial effects in black women.
Gaggero
M
M
Department of Pediatrics, Castelli Hospital, Verbania, Italy.
Mariani
L
L
Guarino
R
R
Patrucco
G
G
Ballardini
G
G
Boscardini
L
L
Barbaglia
M
M
Bello
L
L
Guala
A
A
D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D007774:Lactation / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D044465:White People
D014807:Vitamin D