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Children whose mothers took vitamin D during pregnancy have stronger bones at age seven years
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Children whose mothers took extra vitamin D supplements during pregnancy continue to have stronger bones at the age of seven, according to a new study led by the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton (UHS).
Bone density scans have shown that children born to mothers who took vitamin D supplements during pregnancy have higher bone mineralization in middle childhood. Their bones contain more calcium and other minerals, making them stronger and less likely to break.
The researchers say the findings, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, highlight the importance of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy as a public health strategy.
Dr Rebecca Moon, clinical lecturer in child health at the University of Southampton, led the review.
"Our results show that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy persist into middle childhood. This early intervention represents an important public health strategy. It strengthens children's bones and reduces the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis and fractures later in life," said Dr Rebecca Moon.
The Importance of Vitamin D
Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body - minerals necessary for healthy bones, teeth and muscles.
In 2009, researchers launched the MAVIDOS study, which recruited more than 1,000 women from Southampton, Oxford and Sheffield.
During pregnancy, the women were randomly assigned to one group: one group took an additional 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day, the other took a placebo. The pregnant women, as well as their doctors and midwives, did not know which group they were in.
Research results
A previous study assessed the bone health of children at age four and found that bone mass was greater in children born to mothers who took vitamin D supplements during pregnancy compared to those who did not take supplements.
In this latest study, the researchers looked at whether the effect on bone health lasted into middle childhood. The team followed 454 children aged six to seven, all born to mothers who had taken part in the Southampton study.
The results confirmed that the beneficial effect on children's bones was maintained at both four and six to seven years of age.
Conclusion
Pregnant women in the UK are now routinely advised to take vitamin D supplements. The Southampton research team is part of the MRC Centre for Life Course Epidemiology and the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.
The study, "Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and offspring bone mineralisation in childhood", is published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study was funded by Versus Arthritis, the Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research and the Bupa Foundation.