Investigation of the vitamin D nutritional status in women with gestational diabetes mellitus in Beijing

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is a common issue, which has relation with GDM, during the pregnant period. To study the Vitamin D nutritional status of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the middle and late pregnancy and analyze the different sources of Vitamin D intake. METHODS: A total of ninety-eight pregnant women with GDM were enrolled voluntarily in this study. The patients were divided into two groups, Vitamin D supplement intake and control group. The level of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D (25-OH Vit D) and the sources of Vitamin D intake and the frequency of food consumption rich in Vitamin D were investigated. RESULTS: The incidence rate of Vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) was 20.4%. The range of serum 25-OH Vitamin D2 level was 0–24.71 nmol/L, with the detection rate of 19.4% (19/98). Eighty-four cases (85.7%) took Vitamin D supplements with duration of 2w-31w, and with average daily intake dose of 517.5 ± 113.1 IU. Patients who took Vitamin D supplements had higher serum level of 25-OH Vitamin D than who did not (74.35 ± 26.13 vs 60.45 ± 23.63 nmol/L, p = 0.031), and the rates of deficiency were 17.9% and 35.7%, respectively. In terms of seasonal difference, during autumn, the serum 25-OH Vitamin D2 level in the group who took Vitamin D supplements was significantly higher than control group (78.59 ± 27.54 vs 46.18 ± 18.77 nmol/L, p = 0.045). The diet records showed that the frequencies of consumption of dairy products and eggs among patients were 7.5 ± 3.8/week and 5.6 ± 2.2/week, respectively. CONCLUSION: Most of the patients took Vitamin D supplements which may help to maintain the nutritional balance of Vitamin D.