ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1605489
This article is part of the Research TopicPrenatal Environmental and Genetic Interactions: An Exploration from Fetal Development to Child HealthView all 3 articles
The Efficacy of Calcium and Vitamin D3 Supplementation in Improving Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes
Provisionally accepted
- 1Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
- 2Department of Pharmacy, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo, China
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Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effects of combined calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation on maternal, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes.Methods: Clinical data from 122 pregnant women were retrospectively analyzed and categorized into three groups based on their actual intake: control (n = 48), Calcium 600-Vitamin D (600 mg calcium + 1000 IU vitamin D daily, n = 41), and Calcium 1200-Vitamin D (1200 mg calcium + 1000 IU vitamin D daily, n = 33). Baseline characteristics and outcomes including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, birth weight, and Apgar scores were collected and analyzed.Results: Calcium and vitamin D₃ supplementation was associated with significantly lower rates of gestational diabetes (P = 0.035), preeclampsia (P = 0.032), and gestational hypertension (P = 0.047), as well as reduced leg cramp frequency (P < 0.001). Neonatal outcomes improved with higher birth weights (P < 0.001) and better 1-minute Apgar scores (P < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression confirmed that high-dose supplementation (Calcium 1200–Vitamin D) was independently associated with reduced risks of gestational diabetes (OR = 0.423, 95% CI: 0.123–0.869, P = 0.043) and gestational hypertension (OR = 0.342, 95% CI: 0.126–0.875, P = 0.012). Both supplementation groups significantly reduced leg cramp frequency: Calcium 600–Vitamin D (OR = 0.507, 95% CI: 0.355–0.723, P < 0.001) and Calcium 1200–Vitamin D (OR = 0.512, 95% CI: 0.256–0.985, P = 0.012). No significant differences were found in other outcomes including preterm birth, neonatal infection, or NICU admission (P > 0.05).Conclusion: This study suggests that combined calcium and vitamin D₃ supplementation during pregnancy may help reduce the risk of pregnancy-related complications and improve neonatal outcomes, supporting its potential as an adjunct to prenatal care. Further large-scale and long-term studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
Keywords: Calcium, Vitamin D, Pregnancy, Maternal health, Neonatal outcomes
Received: 03 Apr 2025; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Shen, Wu, Zhang, Wang and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Congyun Zhou, Department of Pharmacy, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo, China
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