LOS ANGELES—In a recent study, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found supplementing the diet of pregnant women with vitamin D may enhance placental immunity and protect it from infection.
“Although the precise function of vitamin D within the placenta remains to be defined, data from this study suggest that local synthesis of [the active form of vitamin D] may play a key role in placental innate immunity,” said the researchers. “We further postulate that improvement of maternal vitamin D status through dietary supplementation may act to potentiate placental innate immune responses during pregnancy.”
Tags: california los angeles, diet of pregnant women, dietary supplementation, function of vitamin d, immune responses, innate immunity, key role, placenta, pregnancy, study researchers, synthesis, ucla, university of california, university of california los angeles