Vitamin D study- Allen foundation?

[Deir]

I was wondering if anyone knew any info on t is recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine that shows a vit d deficency in bf infants. I read about in the Philly Inquirer and of course they make it seem like formula has something bm doesn't. Does anyone know if this study was funded by Ross laboratories or another formula company?

[Cyann]

It might well have been funded by a formula company, but that doesn't mean it's not basically true. Breastfeeding was never "meant", evolutionarily, to provide the bulk of an infant/toddler's Vitamin D. That's supposed to come from sunlight, and the vast majority of people in the Western world do not get nearly enough. Formula babies get extra Vitamin D supplementation in their bottles; breastfed babies do not.

I'm a bit of a Vitamin D freak as well as a lactivist -- our whole family gets extra Vitamin D, including the kidlet, who's gotten drops since he was a few months old.

[Deir]

According to the study, sunscreen, sunlight, melanin etc had no bearing it was strictly nutrition based. I felt the tone of the article made it seem like breastmilk was lacking and therefore better to give formula which already had ithe Vitamin D. I think it definitely matters who funds these studies. A big anti cosleeping study was funded by Ross laboratories. They are pretty diabolical.

[siobhang]

read the cdc report on vitamin D. Cannot find it right now, but look in the MDC archives for vitamin D threads. I know I have posted the link a few times.

[beru]

Originally Posted by Deir

According to the study, sunscreen, sunlight, melanin etc had no bearing it was strictly nutrition based. I felt the tone of the article made it seem like breastmilk was lacking and therefore better to give formula which already had ithe Vitamin D. I think it definitely matters who funds these studies. A big anti cosleeping study was funded by Ross laboratories. They are pretty diabolical.

My baby and I were enrolled in a Vitamin D study. I had to track her sunlight exposure. I believe there is really something missing from their methodology if they didn't make that a consideration.

Also, I totally agree with Cyann. We never go out in the daylight in the dead of winter and we use sunscreen in the summer. When I was in the study, my baby had vitamin D supplements. After the study, I started to take 10 times the RDA of vitamin D hoping it would pass into my milk (I think the jury is out on whether or not this works. There are studies on either side). I am supplementing my daughter for a sunlight deficiency caused by my lifestyle. It has nothing to do with breastfeeding and formula and nutrition. Did you know vitamin D isn't even a vitamin? We are not designed to get it from food.

It is disappointing however that these studies do end up making breastmilk seem deficient. It's really just a matter of perspective. Vitamin D is not supposed to be in breastmilk. It is really formula that is unusual.

[Deir]

I am a breastfeeding counselor and I have always been telling moms that if they get outside everyday without sunscreen they should have enough vit d. I realize that many modern Americans don't have a lifestyle that allows it. If you read the study (It is really short) it states that sun exposure etc had no impact. I thought it was really weird. My question really was whether the study had been swayed by funding that was in favor of formula. When I found out a couple years back that the cosleeping=danger study had been funded in part by Ross Labs(Similac?I believe) I was amazed because cosleeping isn't even directly relate per se to breastffeeding although more breastfeeding moms cosleep at least sometimes. Since the Vit d study was so dependent on nutrition, I was hoping I could find a smoking gun (Nestle or Ross or something) so I could write a letter to the Inquirer, I am the resident breastfeeding letter writer! LOL

[newcastlemama]

Assessment of dietary vitamin D requirements during pregnancy and lactation1,2 Bruce W Hollis and Carol L Wagner
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/79/5/717

Thus, it is clear that the vitamin D content of human milk can be influenced by maternal diet, UV light exposure, or both. If a lactating mother has a limited exposure to UV light, a limited vitamin D intake [such as occurs at the current DRI of 400 IU/d (10 µg/d)], or both, the vitamin D content of her milk will be low, especially if she has darker skin pigmentation.

This has some good info. Breastmilk has enough D if the mother has enough. The issue is that most mamas do not get adaquate sun exposure or take in enough in our diets. In the warm months I wear a bikini and do stuff outside midday for 20-60 minutes(I have a lighter skin tone). I don't wear sunscreen unless I am going to out for a really long time (swimming for example) and want to avoid burning. In the cooler months I take high vitamin cod liver oil and take D3 to equal 4,000-6,000iu of D a day. After the research I have done I feel confident that my nurslng is getting enough. I also let my baby get a little sun as well and will have her get more when she is older like her big brother.