The world is changing fast, and nutritional research during pregnancy is advancing even faster, and when you have another second child, you’ll find that there are more lab tests than there were a few years ago. Among these tests is vitamin D testing. So what the heck is vitamin D’s? 1, why vitamin D supplementation? Studies have found that poor perinatal vitamin D status may have short-term (e.g., preeclampsia) or long-term (e.g., children) effects on bones (osteoporosis), the immune system (autoimmune diseases, allergic reactions), and general health. 2. How much vitamin D is normal in pregnancy? It is generally recommended that a serum 25(OH)D level of no less than 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) is appropriate in pregnancy, and at least 30 ng/ml has also been suggested. The optimal thresholds for vitamin D in pregnancy, lactation, and the neonatal period are not clear, and more is not better. 3. Where does vitamin D come from? Very few foods in nature naturally contain vitamin D. Some deep-sea fish contain vitamin D in their livers, although it is not recommended because of possible excessive heavy metal levels. So where does the body get the vitamin D it needs? The answer: sun exposure. This is because skin synthesis is the main natural source of vitamin D. Sunlight contains ultraviolet rays, sunbathing can be exposed to sunlight, usually arms and face of a short period of sun exposure is equivalent to a daily intake of 200 U vitamin D. So is it the longer the time in the sun, the more vitamin D supplements? Will the vitamin D3 produced be excessive and cause toxicity? No. The body regulates itself. If you get too much sun exposure, your body will convert it into inactive metabolites that do not function. (I won’t go into details about the process of how it is converted). 4. How much vitamin D should be supplemented daily? How much should be supplemented depends on how much is lacking. For ordinary people, living in sunny areas, no disease, no use of certain drugs, 20-30min of sunshine every day is enough. For children, the elderly, and women of childbearing age, the general population is recommended to take a daily vitamin D supplement of 600U-800U. The 2010 IOM recommends that all women of childbearing age, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, be given a daily supplement of 600U of vitamin D. For pregnant women with vitamin D deficiencies, supplementation with 1000-2000U of vitamin D is considered safe. safe. It should also be noted that urinary calcium excretion increases during pregnancy, and urinary calcium levels should be monitored when treating vitamin D deficiency, especially in women with a history of kidney stones. 5. How to supplement? (1) Calcium supplements: Calcium supplements are recommended during pregnancy. Calcium supplements are usually formulated with vitamin D. (2) Maternity multivitamin tablets: During pregnancy, it is recommended to supplement a variety of vitamins and trace elements, which also contains vitamin D. The regular amount of multivitamin tablets and calcium supplements containing vitamin D combined is basically enough. (3) outdoor sunshine, do not apply sunscreen, do not wear protective clothing, half an hour is enough. 6. Vitamin D3 or Vitamin D2? Vitamin D supplements include ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3). D3 is more easily converted into the active form of vitamin D. It is more effective in raising blood levels of 25- to 25-hydroxybenzene. D3 is more easily converted to the active form of vitamin D and is more effective in raising blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Therefore, D3 is usually preferred to D2. Some calcium supplements and vitamin tablets contain vitamin D2, while most of them contain vitamin D3, which you can pay attention to when choosing. 7. Is it good to take super vitamin D supplements? Some studies have found that vitamin D supplementation beyond the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) can reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia and stillbirth, and also improve adverse neonatal outcomes such as neonatal death and asthma. It is a hot research topic nowadays. However, because of whether the pregnant women themselves are vitamin D deficient or not vitamin D deficient population, it has a great impact on the outcome. So more rigorous clinical studies are needed to justify oversupplementation of vitamin D. So don’t follow blindly, but analyze your situation specifically.