Vitamin D Supplementation Boosts Muscle Mass In Kids At 3 Years

Asides its importance in bone density, vitamin D also appears to benefit early body composition.

Breast-feeding is an important source of

necessary nutrients and has been considered the best way to feed infants, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the vitamin D in

breast milk is not sufficient to meet all the child's needs.

Researchers from McGill University in Montréal, Canada, followed up on a 2013 study involving 132 infants to see if there was any link between healthy vitamin D status in the first 12-36 months and bone density.

The subjects had received a supplement of vitamin D-3 between the ages of 1-12 months.

Children whose Vitamin D stores were above 400 IU  averaged around 450 grams less body fat at the age of 3 years, compared with those with low vitamin D levels.

The authors also found an association between lean muscle mass and average vitamin D levels in the body over the first 3 years of a child's life.

Experts recommend Vitamin D supplementation for infants until they are old enough for their diet to provide it.

The study confirms the importance of children receiving vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day in the form of drops during the first 12 months of life, as recommended by current Canadian health guidelines.