Is Breastmilk Deficient in Vitamin D??

I am a physician, attorney, father, grandfather and husband of a wife who has not only been a LaLeche Leader for 17 years, has nursed all six of our children and actively helped our daughters and daughter-in-law nurse our nine grandchildren. I was always bothered by the statement of American Academy of Pediatrics that breastmilk was lacking in Vitamin D. However, when you measure the Vitamin D content in most women's breastmilk it was truly lacking in Vitamin D. This lack of Vitamin D could be responsible for the increased incidence of early childhood cavities in some nursing babies.¹ Many pediatricians blame the childhood cavities on night nursing, claiming that the breastmilk that remained sitting in the mouth was the cause. They insisted that mothers stop night nursing. In all fairness, they also recommended eliminating night bottles of milk or juice.

Even though the cases of early childhood cavities pointed in the direction that breastmilk lacked Vitamin D, I knew there had to be a better explanation. Knowing that all children have adult teeth, I never stopped any mother from nursing at night and told them that is why we all have a second set of teeth.

I have been troubled by this for more than 30 years. Last February I attended a lecture by Dr. Bruce Hollis, "The Vitamin D Requirements During Pregnancy and Lactation".² All of a sudden it became clear that the reason breastmilk was lacking in Vitamin D is either the mother was not in the sun enough (just 10-15 mins. a day with 40% body exposure will give you 5,000-10,000 IUD) or because she was not getting enough Vitamin D supplementation.

As Dr. Hollis reported, when breastfeeding mothers have sun exposure or adequate supplementation, the Vitamin D levels in their breastmilk skyrockets. At this point Dr. Hollis' current recommendation is that pregnant and nursing mothers (because of their increased metabolic rate) need at least 6,000-10,000 IUD daily. His research is ongoing and will be concluded in 2010.³ However, even in the summer we rarely get even 15 minutes a day of adequate sun exposure. Most of us go from our air conditioned house to our air conditioned car to our air conditioned mall or office, never getting even the minimal amount of sun exposure to naturally produce Vitamin D. There is a blood test (25[OH]D - to actually measure the blood level of Vitamin D3 ) that I recommend for everyone, including pregnant and nursing mothers. The normal level should be between 40-60ng/ml. Using this blood level as a baseline, studies have shown that approximately 75% of pregnant and nursing mothers are actually Vitamin D deficient.

Preliminary observational studies have shown that by adding probiotics the potency and absorption of the Vitamin D3 is enhanced. If you are pregnant or are nursing, ask your healthcare provider how you can check your Vitamin D levels and supplement as needed.

Editorial provided by Dr. Mayer Eisenstein, M.D., a medical consultant for Homefirst® Natural Pharm Source.