Supplementing baby with synthetic Vitamin D - Not such a good idea!
WHAT IS VITAMIN D?
Vitamin D is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin; it is required to absorb calcium from the gut into the bloodstream. Vitamin D is mostly produced in the skin in response to sunlight and is also absorbed from food eaten (about 10% of vitamin D is absorbed this way) as part of a healthy balanced diet. The liver and kidneys convert vitamin D (produced in the skin and taken up in the diet), into the active hormone, which is called calcitriol. Active vitamin D helps to increase the amount of calcium the gut can absorb from eaten food into the bloodstream and also prevents calcium loss from the kidneys. Vitamin D modifies the activity of bone cells and is important for the formation of new bone in children and adults.
When my two eldest were born, nobody ever mentioned that a baby needs supplementing with Vitamin D. It just wasn’t a thing!
Having had Bonnie two years ago, the Health Visitors gave a freebie of Vitamin D drops. But I never used them, I was breastfeeding and knew baby would get everything she needed through my breast milk
REMEMBER- Vitamin D is a hormone produced within the body. Then read below.
Having recently been introduced to Mandy Chadwick from Hypnobirthing Leeds, a qualified Hypnobirthing Practioner, Doula and Nutritionist - her wealth of baby knowledge is spot on.
Mandy recently shared some interesting information and facts about the dangers of supplementing with synthetic Vit D.
“SAY NO TO Vitamin D supplements which are either synthetic or made from sheeps wool. DO NOT GIVE SYNTHETIC Vit D to babies!
Vitamin D supplements diminish the vital hormone balancing mineral boron. It also raises calcium in some cases to destructive levels.
Babies can benefit via mothers milk by mamma boosting herself with magnesium and cod liver oil.
Formula milk already contains synthetic vit D.
Both synthetic D and lanlolin based D can irritate the gut lining and force calcium out of the bones into the bloodstream leading to calcification, blood pressure, cataracts, hardening of the arteries, placentas and more.
Vitamin D does not fall out of the sky. We need adequate magnesium and sulphur to enable our bodies to produce vit D under the skin. A little sunlight, magnesium, sulphur and cod liver oil is natures answer.” ~ (Credit Mandy Chadwick)
More about Vitamin D:
(Credit Mr. Rick Fischer)
It is important to understand that the Vitamin D we get from the sun (which is in a sulfate form) affects the body differently from isolated synthetic oral Vitamin D supplementation. What I'll be referring to in this article is oral Vitamin D supplementation...which really, isn't even a vitamin, but an immunosuppressive steroid[1]!
When we're exposed to the sun (UVB), the skin synthesizes Vitamin D sulfate. This sulfate form is water soluble, is able to travel freely in the blood stream, strengthens the immune system, protects against cardiovascular disease, helps against depression, assists with detoxification, and nourishes the brain.
Sunshine Vitamin D therefore really is healthy for us, as long as we maintain intelligent exposure. The supplement form of Vitamin D3 however is un-sulfated, not water soluble, and requires LDL ('bad cholesterol') to be transported. The un-sulfated supplement form does not offer the same benefits as the sulfate form, although the supplement form is great at transporting calcium through the body which the sunshine form doesn't do - at least, not initially.
The sulfated form, after offering it's other benefits in the body, 'drops' the sulfate and then, in it's newly un-sulfated form, is able to assist with calcium and bone health. So basically the sunshine version offers the best of both worlds, whereas the supplement version misses out on a lot of the benefits...and...as you'll learn in this article, comes with dangerous consequences. Specifically, Vitamin D directly lowers Potassium and Vitamin A levels and raises Calcium levels....the implications of this:
The darker side of Vitamin D supplement:
https://mindbodynetwork.com/article/the-darker-side-of-supplementing-vitamin-d