Scientists from the University of Copenhagen found that high doses of vitamin D and fish oil taken by pregnant women reduced the risk of viral croup in infants by about 40%. The authors reported the results at the annual meeting of the European Respiratory Society in Barcelona.
The study included 736 pregnant women. They were divided into four groups where the women received high or moderate doses of vitamin D and fish oil and vitamin D and olive oil. The women took the supplement daily from week 24 of pregnancy to the second week postpartum.
Newborns were followed up to the age of three. During the study period, 97 cases of croup were recorded. Taking high doses of vitamin D and fish oil showed the greatest effect: Newborns in this group had a 40% lower risk of developing viral croup compared to the rest of the study groups.
Scientists don’t know exactly how vitamin D and fish oil protect against croup, but they think they may have stimulated babies’ immune systems, allowing them to clear infections more effectively.
Croup is a viral infection of the chest that mainly affects children under the age of 3. Symptoms include a barking cough and noisy breathing. Croup is usually mild, but some children require more intensive treatment. There is currently no vaccine against the pathogen that causes this disease. The authors noted that at the onset of the pandemic, they saw a marked decrease in the incidence of this infection in children due to the implementation of precautionary measures by parents due to the coronavirus. These include regular hand washing, covering your mouth when you cough, and isolating yourself at home if you have cold symptoms.