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The Canadian pediatricians recommend to the pregnant women, and to those that nurse, to take a supplement of D vitamin every day in order to avoid the deficiencies during the winter. This recommendation is also worth for the babies.

According to a document of principles that the Canadian Society of pediatrics has just emitted (SCP), ” the mothers and the Canadian babies, notably those of the collectivities of the Big North, don’t receive enough vitamin D »1.

A deficiency in D vitamin ” can put serious dangers for the development of the fetus and the infant”, sustain the pediatricians. This deficiency is avoidable, they judge, thanks to supplements ” who can also protect the babies against some illnesses from the childhood and the adult age.”

The Canadian Society of pediatrics recommends to the pregnant women and those who nurse to ask their physician ” if they should take supplements of 2 000 UI per day.”

She/it also proposes to give to the babies nursed a daily supplement of 400 UI per day and ” two times this dose to the babies of the Big North (from a latitude of 55 degrees) during the months of winter (of October to April).”

Besides, the SCP recommends that the babies with the dark skin, exposed little in the sun or whose mother endures a deficiency in D vitamin receive supplements of D vitamin during the winter, whatever is their place of residence.

In his/her/its statement, the SCP recalls that the D vitamin participates in the regulation of the cellular growth, to immunity and to the cellular metabolism. The rickets, an illness joined to the deficiency in D vitamin, home present in Canada, especially within the populations inuites and the First nations, she/it specifies.

Prudence in Health Canada

Reacting to the statement of the SCP, Health Canada sustains that he is ” premature to emit a new recommendation before having done a structural detailed exam on the advantages and the innocuité of this vitamin »2.

Currently, Health Canada recommends a supplémentation in D vitamin of 200 UI per day for the adults of 19 years to 50 years, including to the pregnant women or that nurse. For the 50 years and more, one proposes 400 UI. Besides, the federal Ministry advises the 2 years and more to drink 500 ml (two cups) of milk per day to get a sufficient contribution of D. vitamin

However, Health Canada pushes its recommendations on the nutritional contributions of reference of the Institute Medicine of (IOM) of the United States. However, the recommendations of the IOM for the D vitamin go back up to 1997.

To Canada, the maximal contribution supportable of D vitamin is fixed in 2 000 UI per day, for the adults. This doorstep is thrown however into question by number of scientifiques3.

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