discovery ruse: Vitamin D for pregnant women and babies -- how much is enough?

Vitamin D for pregnant women and babies -- how much is enough?

Public release date: 1-May-2012
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Contact: Susan Stevens Martin
ssmartin@aap.org
847-434-7131
American Academy of Pediatrics

BOSTON Women who do not receive enough vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation can experience serious health problems for themselves and their baby, but health experts offer conflicting advice on what constitutes a safe amount. The latest research on vitamin D will be discussed during a topic symposium at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. ET in Room 310 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

The session, "Vitamin D During Pregnancy and Lactation: Do Mother and Baby Need Screening for Deficiency or High-Dose Supplementation?" will discuss the consequences of low vitamin D in infants and pregnant women, and the recommendations for screening for prevention of vitamin D deficiency, including costs associated with high-dose supplementation. The session will also review the current literature and science and position papers related to vitamin D intake.

"We are looking forward to focusing on the evidence behind vitamin D requirements and how we can resolve the controversies surrounding vitamin D requirements with this session," said symposium chair, Steven A. Abrams, MD. "This is a significant issue in the field of pediatrics, and the PAS meeting provides an ideal venue to have an open discussion with health experts."

The session will take place 10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. ET and include:

10:30 AM - Vitamin D in Pregnancy and Lactation: Who Says What and Why Don't Any Organizations Agree?
Steven A. Abrams, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

10:45 AM - Vitamin D during Pregnancy and Lactation: What Should We Recommend and Why?
Christopher S. Kovacs, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada

11:10 AM - Vitamin D: How Much Is Safe for Infants and What Happens When Babies Get Too Much or Too Little?
Thomas O. Carpenter, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

11:35 AM - Screening and Intervention Strategies for Prevention of Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants
Catherine M. Gordon, Children's Hospital of Boston, Boston, MA

12:00 PM - Where Do We Go from Here? How Do We Resolve Conflicts over Vitamin D Recommendations during Pregnancy, Lactation and in Infants?
Steven A. Abrams, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

12:15 PM - Discussion

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The Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) are four individual pediatric organizations who co-sponsor the PAS Annual Meeting the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, the Academic Pediatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Members of these organizations are pediatricians and other health care providers who are practicing in the research, academic and clinical arenas. The four sponsoring organizations are leaders in the advancement of pediatric research and child advocacy within pediatrics, and all share a common mission of fostering the health and well-being of children worldwide. For more information, visit www.pas-meeting.org. Follow news of the PAS meeting on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PedAcadSoc.

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Vitamin D for pregnant women and babies -- how much is enough? Public release date: 1-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Susan Stevens Martin
ssmartin@aap.org
847-434-7131
American Academy of Pediatrics