Reduce Kids’ Risk of High Blood Pressure With Maternal Vitamin D

Children born with low vitamin D levels have an approximately 60 percent higher risk of elevated systolic blood pressure between ages 6 and 18, reports a study of 775 Boston children published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. Those with persistently low levels of vitamin D through early childhood had double the risk of elevated systolic blood pressure between ages 3 and 18. Higher systolic numbers increase the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Because infants’ vitamin D levels are determined by the mothers’ levels during pregnancy, researchers suggest exploring an official recommendation for vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy.

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