{"id":23869,"date":"2025-05-29T08:25:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T07:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/news-approfondimenti\/la-profilassi-con-vitamina-d-nei-primi-12-mesi-di-vita\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T09:49:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T08:49:59","slug":"vitamin-d-prophylaxis-in-the-first-12-months-of-life","status":"publish","type":"news-approfondimenti","link":"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/news-approfondimenti\/vitamin-d-prophylaxis-in-the-first-12-months-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitamin D Prophylaxis in the First 12 Months of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-20621\" src=\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1365\" height=\"769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7-120x68.jpg 120w, https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Slide-16_9-7.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating bone metabolism and modulating immune responses. In the first months of life, supplementation is essential for the prevention of nutritional rickets and for maintaining an adequate vitamin status.<br \/>\nIt is a<strong> fat-soluble prohormone<\/strong>, crucial for calcium homeostasis and skeletal health. Its deficiency, common in pediatric age, is associated with bone mineralization defects and possible alterations in immune response. For this reason, vitamin D prophylaxis is recommended from the very first days of life.<\/p>\n<p>The two main forms are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Vitamin D\u2082 (ergocalciferol)<\/strong>: of plant origin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vitamin D\u2083<\/strong> (cholecalciferol): synthesized in the skin through UVB exposure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both require two hydroxylations to become active:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>In the liver: hydroxylation to 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], the storage form.<\/li>\n<li>In the kidney: hydroxylation to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)\u2082D], or calcitriol, the hormonally active form.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h5 style=\"background-color: #e8eff4; color: white; padding: 5px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #006271;\">Pathophysiological Rationale for Prophylaxis<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Newborns have<strong> limited vitamin D stores<\/strong>, mainly related to maternal levels during pregnancy. <strong>Transplacental transmission<\/strong> occurs mainly in the third trimester, but many newborns are born with suboptimal levels, especially if the mother is vitamin D deficient.<br \/>\n<strong>Breast milk<\/strong> contains insufficient vitamin D (about 25\u201380 IU\/L), and even formula-fed infants achieve adequate intake only with significant volumes (\u22481 liter\/day), which is often delayed until after the initial weaning phase.<\/p>\n<p>Vitamin D <strong>regulates calcium-phosphorus metabolism<\/strong> and has the following <strong>effects<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stimulates intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus<\/li>\n<li>Promotes bone mineralization<\/li>\n<li>Reduces parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion<\/li>\n<li>Modulates osteoblastic activity and bone remodeling<\/li>\n<li>Supports innate and adaptive immune response<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>During neonatal growth, the balance between <strong>osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity<\/strong> is crucial for proper mineralization, which occurs through deposition of hydroxyapatite in the bone matrix. Vitamin D stimulates the synthesis of calcium-binding proteins (e.g., calbindin), contributing to the development of adequate bone architecture.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #E8EFF4; padding: 20px;\">\n<h5><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><strong><em>Indications for Prophylaxis<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><em>Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for all newborns, regardless of feeding type, starting from the first days of life. Prophylaxis should be maintained at least until 12 months and extended in children with persistent risk factors.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"background-color: #e8eff4; color: white; padding: 5px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #006271;\">Vitamin D, Respiratory Infections and Atopic Dermatitis<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><strong>Current evidence<\/strong> on the preventive role of vitamin D in respiratory infections is <strong>still limited<\/strong>. Some studies suggest potential benefits in preventing conditions like uncomplicated acute otitis media, but data are insufficient to recommend systematic use for prevention.<br \/>\nTo support an effective immune response, 25(OH)D levels must exceed the minimum required to prevent rickets. In cases of deficiency, supplementation may help reduce infection risk.<br \/>\nEpidemiological studies have shown an association between low vitamin D levels and increased incidence or severity of atopic dermatitis. However, findings are not conclusive, and some studies do not confirm this correlation. It is hypothesized that vitamin D may modulate skin inflammation by acting on immune cells (T lymphocytes, dendritic cells), which are involved in the disease\u2019s pathogenesis.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #E8EFF4; padding: 20px;\">\n<h5><em><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><strong>Recommended Dosages<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/h5>\n<p><em><strong><span style=\"color: #006271;\">Full-term newborns<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><em><strong>Standard<\/strong>: 400 IU\/day<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><em><strong>With risk factors<\/strong>: up to 1,000 IU\/day<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><em><strong>Preterm newborns<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><strong>&lt; 1,500 g<\/strong>: 200\u2013400 IU\/day (including contributions from parenteral\/enteral nutrition)<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #006271;\"><strong>\u2265 1,500 g<\/strong>: 400\u2013800 IU\/day until 40 weeks post-conceptional age<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #006271;\">After this threshold: follow recommendations for full-term newborns<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"background-color: #e8eff4; color: white; padding: 5px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #006271;\">Mode of Administration<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Supplementation should be <strong>daily<\/strong>, preferably <strong>with vitamin D\u2083<\/strong> (cholecalciferol), although vitamin D\u2082 (ergocalciferol) is also effective. Active metabolites (e.g., calcitriol, alfacalcidol) should not be used for prophylaxis, except in specific conditions, as they do not replenish liver stores and increase the risk of hypercalcemia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating bone metabolism and modulating immune responses. In the first months of life, supplementation is essential for the prevention of nutritional rickets and for maintaining an adequate vitamin status. It is a fat-soluble prohormone, crucial for calcium homeostasis and skeletal health. Its deficiency, common in pediatric age, is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1447,"featured_media":23870,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"focus-approfondimento":[874],"focus-appartenenza":[901],"coauthors":[794],"class_list":["post-23869","news-approfondimenti","type-news-approfondimenti","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","focus-approfondimento-well-being-in-summer","focus-appartenenza-cure-e-attenzioni-amorevoli-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Vitamin D Prophylaxis in the First 12 Months of Life - Baby Wellness Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/babywellnessfoundation.org\/en\/news-approfondimenti\/vitamin-d-prophylaxis-in-the-first-12-months-of-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vitamin D Prophylaxis in the First 12 Months of Life - Baby Wellness Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating bone metabolism and modulating immune responses. In the first months of life, supplementation is essential for the prevention of nutritional rickets and for maintaining an adequate vitamin status. It is a fat-soluble prohormone, crucial for calcium homeostasis and skeletal health. 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