Effect of Low Dietary Vitamin D Fed Prior to and During Pregnancy and Lactation on Maternal Bone Mineral Density, Structure, and Strength in C57BL/6 Mice

Several studies have shown that diets containing lower vitamin D than in the AIN-93G diet do not compromise bone structure, bone mineral density (BMD), and/or bone strength in male and female mice. This study determined if a diet containing low vitamin D from prepregnancy through to the end of lactation maintained these bone outcomes to a similar extent as a high vitamin D diet. Mice were fed an AIN-93G diet with 25 (LD diet) or 5000 (HD diet) IU vitamin D/kg diet from premating through to lactation (n = 15/group). Of the major structure outcomes, only cortical area fraction of the distal femur was lower (P
The study findings suggest that the level of bone-supporting nutrients such as vitamin D should be part of the conversation regarding a potential revision of the AIN-93 diets.