A
two-year-long community project implemented at the Medical University of
South Carolina confirms 40 to 60 percent of preterm births are
prevented by raising pregnant women’s vitamin D to a level of 40 ng/mL
Vitamin
D optimization also reduces the mother’s risk of preeclampsia,
gestational diabetes and prenatal infections by approximately 50 percent
Children
born of vitamin D deficient mothers have higher risk of allergies and
asthma, colds and flu, dental cavities, diabetes and autism, as well as a
higher risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease in later life
By Dr. Mercola
Despite being simple and inexpensive to address, vitamin D deficiency
is epidemic around the world. It's been estimated that if vitamin D
levels were raised among the general population, it could prevent
chronic diseases that claim nearly a million lives throughout the world
each year. Raising vitamin D levels among pregnant women is of
particular concern, as insufficiency affects both the mother and her
developing child.
Protect Our Children NOW! is a GrassrootsHealth campaign
launched in 2015 to combat vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women
worldwide. Research by GrassrootsHealth shows 40 to 60 percent of
preterm births could be prevented by raising pregnant women's vitamin D
to a level of 40 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). This really seems to
be the sweet spot, above which the risk for many complications and
health problems dramatically decline.
Preterm birth is defined as a birth before 37 weeks' gestation. One
of the reasons GrassrootsHealth created a field trial around pregnancy
and preterm birth is because there's a clearly defined timeframe —
babies either are or are not preterm, which makes the results
unambiguous. Preterm birth is cited as the reason for 28 percent of
newborn deaths during the first month of life.
Preterm babies are also more likely to suffer health problems later
on, including a higher risk of ADHD, cerebral palsy, autism, asthma,
intestinal problems, pneumonia, vision problems, hearing loss and dental
problems. As of 2015, the U.S. had a preterm birth rate of 9.6 percent,
meaning nearly 1 in 10 babies were born prematurely. The U.S., while
one of the most advanced countries in the world, ranked No. 130 in
preterm births out of 184 countries in 2010.
The Benefits of Optimizing Vitamin D During Pregnancy
Protect our Children NOW! is a cost-effective, reproducible
program that protects children by ensuring pregnant mothers are vitamin D
sufficient. Aside from halving the risk for preterm birth, vitamin D
optimization also reduces the mother's risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and prenatal infections by approximately 50 percent.1
Research also confirms there is a lifelong impact for children born
of vitamin D deficient mothers, ranging from childhood allergies and
asthma to more frequent colds and flu, dental cavities, diabetes, autism
and even strokes and cardiovascular disease in later life. All of these
conditions can be reduced by optimizing vitamin D during pregnancy.2,3,4
According to the 2015 Save the Children report5
on the health of mothers around the world, the U.S. ranked worst among
developed countries. American women face a 1 in 1,800 risk of dying
during pregnancy, and are more than 10 times as likely to die from
pregnancy-related causes than women in Belarus, Poland and Australia. We
now have an unprecedented opportunity to change this abysmal track
record.
Protect Our Children NOW!
Protect Our Children NOW! was initiated by Carole Baggerly, founder of GrassrootsHealth,6
which has a panel of more than 40 vitamin D researchers that provide
scientific advice. Dr. Carol Wagner, a neonatologist, is the lead
principal investigator for Protect Our Children NOW! The
program was initially implemented at the Medical University of South
Carolina (MUSC), a federally qualified health care center.
Vitamin D supplements were made available to all pregnant women in 5,000 IU capsules, donated by Bio-Tech Pharmacal.Pregnant
women residing in South Carolina were able to enroll in this community
demonstration project at no cost. The insurers paid for the vitamin D
tests. Now, the results are in and not only has it led to a successful
change in practice at MUSC, but the data also confirms that vitamin D
optimization does indeed reduce premature birth.
Every day, there are approximately 1,000 preterm births in the U.S.
By making vitamin D optimization standard of care across the nation,
that number could likely be less than 500. According to estimates by
March of Dimes, each preterm birth has a price tag of about $50,000. By
making this one simple change in care, the U.S. could save more than $9
billion per year, including $4.5 billion in Medicaid costs.
Over the past two years, Protect our Children NOW! has
created a successful template for standard of care that is now ready to
be implemented throughout the U.S. in any hospital willing to
participate. To start, the project needs your help to expand its
support to at least three major hospitals and their pregnant
populations. To begin the implementation of the program, they need
$200,000 this year. To fund all three hospitals, a total of $1 million
is needed. I urge you to make a donation right now. By doing so, you
will help save thousands of lives, and improve the health of both
mothers and children.
Your Support Is Needed Now
I believe optimizing vitamin D during pregnancy is one of the most
important things you can do for your and your child's health — it's so
simple and inexpensive, and the benefits are so dramatic, it's really a
no-brainer. Unfortunately, many women are still unaware of this simple
strategy, and many doctors are also underinformed. Protect our Children NOW! can change all of that, and I hope you will help them do just that.
So, please, make a donation right now, and I will match the first
$25,000, dollar for dollar. I know we are constantly asking for your
support but these are noble causes, and I would not ask if I were not
donating first, so I appreciate your consideration.
Our Goal — Improve Health Outcomes for Pregnant Women and Their Babies
One of the things that makes this initiative so exciting is that
Blue Cross Blue Shield is helping at the state level and will be
helping create some statewide educational programs. This is great news,
since the high profile of this insurance company will increase the
chances of eventually getting the standard of care changed nationwide.
Blue Cross endorsement has the potential to EXPLODE this initiative
across the country and could be a very strategic leverage of anything
you are able to donate for support.
As with the initial South Carolina project, your donation will allow
GrassrootsHealth to implement a "change in standard of care" for the
entire pregnant population (an estimated 3,000 women per hospital) in
each of the three hospitals for two years, after which the outcomes of
each community project will be published.
The change in care includes vitamin D testing for all pregnant women
upon their initial obstetrics visit. If their level is below the minimum
target of 40 ng/mL, they will receive free vitamin D supplements. A
second and third follow-up test will be administered about 8 to 12
weeks, and 24 weeks after the initial visit. Protect our Children NOW! will also provide the following categories of support to participating hospitals:
A one-time grant to help pay for internal data collection and
extraction, project leader compensation, and ongoing implementation and
communication with staff
Customization of infrastructure of the GrassrootsHealth protocol to
meet the specific needs of the hospital and its community. This includes
the institutional review board application within the hospital,
definition of the measurements to be used to quantify results, custom
literature, educational courses for their doctors, and project
management by GrassrootsHealth
Analysis of the health and lab test data by GrassrootsHealth on a
bimonthly basis to a) provide ongoing direction to the local project
manager and b) provide critical information to patients and to remind
them of the need to take their supplements and to do their vitamin D
tests at specified times. This methodology is key to the compliance of
both patients and doctors with the program protocols
Disseminating outcomes through the creation of a scientific
publication of the results; meeting with state and local officials to
promote awareness and providing additional educational sessions
Research Supports Vitamin D Optimization During Pregnancy
The science supporting vitamin D optimization during pregnancy
has been demonstrated in several randomized trials. To that, we can now
add the large population study produced by the Protect our Children NOW! project at MUSC. The results of this research were published July 24 in PLoS One.7 As noted in a recent press release:
"This first-of-its kind study demonstrated significant results by
changing the standard of care for pregnant women. The goal was to help
pregnant women achieve a vitamin D serum level of at least 40 ng/mL (100
nmol/L) — which has been demonstrated to be the threshold for benefit
in previous randomized trials …
This population study included over 1,000 pregnant women at the
Medical University of South Carolina. Results found that women who
achieved a 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum level of ≥ 40 ng/mL (100 nmol/L)
had a 60 percent lower risk of preterm birth compared to those with
levels < 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L).
Two randomized controlled trials with vitamin D and pregnancy
outcomes and an associated post-hoc analysis by researchers at the
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) showed a 59 percent lower
risk of preterm births with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of ≥40 ng/ml (100
nmol/L) compared to women with concentrations ≤ 20 ng/ml (the current
sufficient level recommended by the Institute of Medicine).
This new population study of all pregnant women at the medical
center, using the implementation services of GrassrootsHealth and their
Protect our Children NOW! program, has confirmed that results can be
replicated in a much larger population."
Among non-Caucasian women, the preterm rate prior to the start of the
study was 18 percent. Those who achieved a vitamin D level of 40 ng/mL
by their second test had a 78 percent lower preterm birth rate —
reducing the preterm birth rate to just 4 percent!
GrassrootsHealth has also compiled data from its D*action
participants and other partner institutions, which clearly shows that
vitamin D serum levels do not increase linearly with dosage. For that
reason, it's actually quite difficult to reach toxic levels, and no
signs of toxicity were found in the study population. As noted by
Baggerly:
"It is seldom that we find a solution to a major health problem
that is demonstrably simple, safe and effective, but we have that here.
Prevention is the key to health — not treatment of the disease. A
hospital in Columbia, SC, Palmetto, is starting their implementation
based on these findings. Funding is needed to continue this
implementation. We hope you will help us support this initiative for the
next generation of people."
Pregnant? Join GrassrootsHealth Study
If you are currently 12 to 17 weeks pregnant, you can join the join the GrassrootsHealth pregnancy study
for free and test your vitamin D level from the comfort of your own
home. If you are planning a pregnancy, or are more than 17 weeks
pregnant, you can take control of your and your child's health by using
the D*Action test kit. It's one of the most cost-effective ways to monitor your vitamin D status.
Keep in mind that while most prenatal vitamins contain some vitamin
D, the amount is unlikely to be high enough to raise your level to 40
ng/mL. Also remember that the only way to ensure vitamin D is suffice is
to get tested, and to tailor your dosage to achieve at least 40 ng/mL.
Ideally, you'll want to achieve a level of 40 ng/mL as early as possible
in your pregnancy. Breastfeeding women should also supplement with
6,400 IUs of vitamin D3 per day to optimize your child's health.8
No comments:
Post a Comment