22.07.2016
Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin but a strong steroid hormone that acts on
almost every cell in the body and participates in numerous vital processes.
Vitamin D acts as an inducer and repressor of various genes and regulates more
than 500 genes’ expressions. Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of
preeclampsia, preterm delivery, cesarean section, spontaneous abortion, low
birth weight and gestational diabetes for pregnant women. And for infants
vitamin D deficiency may have even worse results. Infants whose mother’s had a
severe vitamin D deficiency may have inborn rickets. The link between vitamin D
deficiency and rickets is very clear and has been known for a long time.
However very recent data shows us that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy
and early childhood may be far more dangerous than we could imagine.
You can read more about this problem in the article prepared by MD Natia Vashakmadze.