Among babies born at term, low birthweight predicts cardiovascular risk factors and disease in adulthood. This study shows that babies born prematurely, whether or not they have intrauterine growth retardation, are predisposed to similar risks as adults.

Summary and conclusionsPregnant women receiving daily supplements of 400 IU (10 ,tg) of vitamin D2 from the 12th week of pregnancy had plasma calcium concentrations higher at 24 weeks but similar at delivery to those in control pregnant women who did not receive the supplements. Infants of the women receiving the supplements had higher calcium, lower phosphorus, and similar magnesium concentrations on the sixth day of life and a lower incidence of hypocalcaemia than infants of the control women. Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, which showed a seasonal variation, were higher in mothers and infants in the treated group. Cord-blood calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations correlated with maternal values at delivery. Breast-fed infants had higher calcium and magnesium and lower phosphorus and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations than artificially fed infants. A defect of dental enamel was found in a high proportion of infants (many of whom had suffered from hypocalcaemia) born to the control women.These results suggest that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy would be beneficial for mothers, whose intake from diet and skin synthesis is appreciably less than 500 IU of vitamin D daily.

SUMMARY One hundred and forty five Asian children born at Sorrento Maternity Hospital, Birmingham, were reviewed at the age of 22 months. A significant association of iron deficiency and poor vitamin D state was found. Two fifths of the children were anaemic, two fifths had a low plasma concentration of vitamin D, and one fifth had both features. This was more than simple overlap of the two deficiencies; the children with low plasma vitamin D concentrations had significantly lower concentrations of haemoglobin and serum iron. On the other hand, the deficiencies were not merely individual features of generally poor nutrition; growth and other measures of protein energy nutrition were slightly better in these children, and their plasma zinc concentration was no lower than in the children without deficiencies. It seems, therefore, that child health surveillance as currently practised-for example, growth monitoring, clinical signs, etc-will not detect these problems unless a haemoglobin determination is included. In view of the association of poor iron and vitamin D state combined prophylaxis is desirable. At present, strategies for preventing rickets in this country are not combined with attempts to detect or prevent iron deficiency. In our opinion they should be and the options are discussed.

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