title: Is vitamin D supplementation necessary in healthy full-term breastfed infants? A follow-up study of bone mineralization in healthy full-term infants with and without supplemental vitamin D.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to establish whether healthy full-term breastfed infants require supplemental vitamin D for proper bone mineralization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bone mineralization was studied by performing ultrasound scans of 73 healthy full-term subjects at the age of 3 months. The infants were divided into three groups. Group A: breastfed without supplemental vitamin D (BF); group B: breastfed with supplement of 400 IU/day of vitamin D (BFD); group C: fed with formula (with and without supplemental vitamin D 400 IU/day) (FF). The values of mcSOS (m/sec) and mcBTT (µsec) were assessed in all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A statistically significant difference has been found between group A vs group B both in mcSOS (P=0.03) and in mcBTT (P=0.01) values and also between group A vs group C both in mcSOS (P=0.012) and in mcBTT (P=0.003) values. Significant differences between group B vs group C were not found. In 75% of subjects of group A mcSOS and mcBTT values were ≤ the 10th percentile, while in group B they were between the 10th and 50th percentile. In FF infants given supplemental vitamin D mcSOS and mcBTT values were between the 25th and 75th percentile.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human breast milk is an appropriate source of nutrition for the growth of healthy full-term newborns, but is poor in vitamin D as demonstrated by the impaired bone mineralization in the breastfed infants without supplemental vitamin D. The results presented demonstrate that exclusively breastfed infants require at least 400 IU/day of supplemental vitamin D.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy. bagnoli@unisi.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bagnoli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casucci
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iurato
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coriolani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiezzi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vispi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D014807:Vitamin D