Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation to Improve Linear Growth in Children

In India, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency as assessed by vitamin D levels below 20 ng/ml is high across the country, in all socio-economic, age and sex groups. Studies from India have documented that prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is high in breast-fed infants. Stunting in young children continues to be a major public health problem in India. It is possible that in addition to low birth weight and chronic energy deficiency, vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the high stunting rates in breast-fed Indian children. If this were so, vitamin D supplementation may reduce the magnitude of linear growth retardation in the first two years of life. A community-based randomised, double-blind supervised daily supplementation of 250 mg of calcium and 250 IU of Vitamin D (Group A) or placebo (Group B) to breast-fed infants from the first month up to 23 months of age was undertaken to assess the impact, if any, of vitamin D supplementation on linear growth in children and height attained at 23 months. At enrolment, there were no significant differences in weight, length and BMI between infants belonging to Group A or Group B. There were no significant differences in infant and young child feeding practices, morbidity due to infection, or linear growth and height attained at 23 months between Group A and Group B. These data suggest that daily supplementation of calcium and vitamin D between 0-23 months did not have any significant impact on linear growth of children from urban low middle income families.