Abstract

CARVALHO, Marisa  and  BARGE, Sílvio. Vitamin D supplementation in infants: what is the evidence?. Rev Port Clin Geral [online]. 2011, vol.27, n.3, pp.302-309. ISSN 0870-7103.

Objective: To determine if there is evidence of clinical benefit for vitamin D supplementation in infants. Sources: MEDLINE data base and Evidence Based Medicine electronic sites. Review methods: A search for clinical practice guidelines, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, evidence-based reviews and clinical trials published before January 2010, in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese was performed using the MeSH terms: “vitamin D” and “dietary supplements”. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy scale of the American Family Physician was used to assess the quality of the studies and the strength of the recommendation. Results: We identified 340 articles, but only nine met all of our inclusion criteria. These consisted of three clinical practice guidelines, two systematic reviews, an evidence-based review, a consensus statement of two experts and one cohort study. No agreement was found regarding the need for vitamin D supplements or the recommended dose. Vitamin D supplementation with 400 IU per day for all infants who are exclusively breastfed or who ingest less than one liter of formula milk per day seems beneficial and safe. Conclusion: Currently, the most common recommendation for preventing rickets is the provision of 400 IU of vitamin D per day to infants who are exclusively breastfed, or who are fed with at least one liter of milk a day. Additional controlled, randomized, long-term high quality studies are necessary to assess the need for vitamin D supplementation in different populations.

Keywords : Vitamin D; Dietary Supplements; Infant.

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