Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38950419›Full record

SynthesisNutrition reviews2025

The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation During Pregnancy on Maternal, Neonatal, and Infant Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Wen-Chien Yang, Ramaa Chitale, Karen M O'Callaghan, Christopher R Sudfeld, Emily R Smith

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nutrition reviews, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Effect of vitamin DBMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Wen-Chien YangDepartment of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8206-1496
Ramaa ChitaleDepartment of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0984-8433
Karen M O'CallaghanDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-5853-3796
Christopher R SudfeldDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3203-3638
Emily R SmithDepartment of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5715-9459

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextPrevious research linked vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy to adverse pregnancy outcomes.

objectiveUpdate a 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy, identify sources of heterogeneity between trials, and describe evidence gaps precluding a clinical recommendation. DATA SOURCES: The MEDLINE, PubMed, Europe PMC, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases were searched. Articles were included that reported on RCTs that included pregnant women given vitamin D supplements as compared with placebo, no intervention, or active control (≤600 IU d-1). Risk ratios (RRs) and mean differences were pooled for 38 maternal, birth, and infant outcomes, using random effects models. Subgroup analyses examined effect heterogeneity. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used. DATA EXTRACTION: Included articles reported on a total of 66 trials (n = 17 276 participants). DATA ANALYSIS: The median vitamin D supplementation dose was 2000 IU d-1 (range: 400-60 000); 37 trials used placebo. Antenatal vitamin D supplementation had no effect on the risk of preeclampsia (RR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.43-1.53]; n = 6 trials and 1483 participants), potentially protected against gestational diabetes mellitus (RR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.49-0.86; n = 12 trials and 1992 participants), and increased infant birth weight by 53 g (95% CI, 16-90; n = 40 trials and 9954 participants). No effect of vitamin D on the risk of preterm birth, small-for-gestational age, or low birth weight infants was found. A total of 25 trials had at least 1 domain at high risk of bias.

conclusionAdditional studies among the general pregnant population are not needed, given the many existing trials. Instead, high-quality RCTs among populations with low vitamin D status or at greater risk of key outcomes are needed. Benefits of supplementation in pregnancy remain uncertain because current evidence has high heterogeneity, including variation in study context, baseline and achieved end-line 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, and studies with high risk of bias. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022350057.

Indexed as

Dietary SupplementsInfant HealthPregnancy ComplicationsVitamin DVitamin D DeficiencyFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaternal Nutritional Physiological PhenomenaPre-EclampsiaPregnancyPregnancy OutcomeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicVitaminsVitamin DVitaminsmaternal and child healthmeta-analysismicronutrient supplementationpregnancysystematic reviewvitamin D

Identifiers

PMID38950419
PMCPMC11819489

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.