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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Preventing a Lifetime of Illness Before BirthA Call to Action for Maternal Health Justice and Vitamin D Sufficiencyby Jen Aliano, MS; Richard Z. Cheng, M.D., Ph.D.; and the GrassrootsHealth Vitamin D Coalition 🔎 Highlights
Pregnancy: A Tipping Point for Prevention and PolicyThe United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations-and the burden falls disproportionately on Black and underserved communities. While modern prenatal care increasingly focuses on pharmaceutical screenings and diagnostics, it continues to neglect one of the safest, most affordable, and well-supported interventions available: vitamin D sufficiency. This is not just a clinical gap-it is a public health injustice and an opportunity for transformation. The Biology: Vitamin D Is Essential-Yet IgnoredBy the 12th week of pregnancy, a woman's body increases production of calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D) by nearly 300%-a level essential for immune tolerance, gene regulation, placental function, and fetal development (2, 8). This physiologic shift is entirely dependent on adequate vitamin D reserves. Yet:
These statistics are not just numbers. They represent millions of women and babies left unprotected. What the Evidence ShowsRandomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies have confirmed that achieving serum 25(OH)D ≥ 40 ng/mL during pregnancy significantly reduces risk of:
Having sufficient vitamin D levels prior to or as early as possible during pregnancy can help women avoid these risks. In fact, the evidence regarding preconception vitamin D levels and preeclampsia is so strong, the 2024 edition of Feldman and Pike's Vitamin D (considered the authoritative resource on the topic) states, "Entering pregnancy with a circulating 25(OH)D level of at least 40 ng/ml, imparts perfect protection against the development of preeclampsia." (Chapter 32 p.681) Despite these findings, vitamin D is not routinely tested in prenatal care, and most physicians continue to recommend only 400-800 IU/day-an insufficient dose by modern scientific standards. A Public Health ImperativeThis issue is not just about optimizing pregnancy outcomes-it's about eliminating avoidable harm. Vitamin D is:
Effective prenatal protocols-based on blood testing and dosing of 4,000-6,000 IU/day-can achieve sufficiency in the vast majority of pregnant women (7). The failure to adopt these practices represents a systemic gap that can and must be closed. Advocacy in Action - Co-Sponsored by OMNSThe GrassrootsHealth Vitamin D Coalition and the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service (OMNS), along with several other organizations, are collaborating on a major advocacy event in Washington, D.C. in Fall 2025 . We will meet with U.S. lawmakers, federal agencies, and national maternal health organizations to advocate for urgent, evidence-based reforms to:
Our aim is to save lives-beginning in the womb-and reduce generational health burdens through one of the simplest and most impactful tools in modern medicine: vitamin D sufficiency. A Broader Call to the Orthomolecular and Maternal Health CommunitiesThis initiative unites orthomolecular medicine, public health equity, and science-based advocacy. We invite researchers, clinicians, midwives, nonprofit leaders, and defenders of maternal and child health to join this national push to:
Join the MovementIf your organization is committed to evidence-based maternal care, informed consent, and nutritional health justice-we invite you to collaborate. https://www.grassrootshealth.net/a-major-opportunity-is-knocking-right-now/ Healthy mothers grow healthy children. Let's protect both-starting before birth-with the nutrients that matter most. For more information or to participate in the campaign: Jen Aliano, MS About the AuthorsJen Aliano, MS Executive Director of GrassrootsHealth, a public health research and education nonprofit advancing evidence-based micronutrient strategies for chronic disease prevention. She leads national collaborations and policy initiatives to integrate vitamin D testing and sufficiency into standard prenatal care. Richard Z. Cheng, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Cheng is a U.S.-based, NIH-trained, board-certified physician specializing in integrative cancer therapy, orthomolecular medicine, and anti-aging medicine. He maintains active practices in both the United States and China. A Fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and Hall of Fame inductee of the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine, Dr. Cheng is a leading advocate for nutrition-based, root-cause health strategies. He serves as an expert reviewer for the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners and co-founded both the China Low Carb Medicine Alliance and the Society of International Metabolic Oncology. 📰 Follow his latest insights on Substack: https://substack.com/@rzchengmd References1. Aliano J, Baggerly C, Wagner CL. Vitamin D Action Needed Now to Protect Pregnancies and Babies. GrassrootsHealth. 2012. https://www.grassrootshealth.net/vitamin-d-action-needed-now-to-protect-pregnancies-and-babies 2. Hollis BW, Wagner CL. New insights into vitamin D requirements during pregnancy. Bone Res. 2017;5:17030. https://doi.org/10.1038/boneres.2017.30 3. Wagner CL, McNeil RB, Hamilton SA, et al. Prevention of preterm birth: Results of a randomized clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013;208(2):137.e1-137.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2012.10.111 4. Wagner CL, Hollis BW, Weiss S, et al. Lessons from prenatal vitamin D clinical trials and cohort studies. GrassrootsHealth. 2025. https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/lessons-learned-rct-prenatal-vitamin-d-asthma 5. Grant WB, Wimalawansa SJ, et al. Clinical Impact of Achieving Serum 25(OH)D >30 ng/mL in Chronic Disease Prevention: A Cohort-Based Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. PMID: 39861407. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39861407 6. Wagner CL, et al. Postpartum and early childhood benefits of maternal vitamin D sufficiency. Nutrients. 2022;14(1):100. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/1/100 7. GrassrootsHealth. Vitamin D for Prenatal and Newborn Health - Expert Interview with Dr. Carol Wagner. 2022. https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/vitamin-d-prenatal-newborn-health-vitamin-d-expert-interview 8. Grant WB, Wimalawansa SJ, Pludowski P, Cheng RZ. Vitamin D: Evidence-Based Health Benefits and Recommendations for Population Guidelines. Nutrients. 2025 Jan 14;17(2):277. doi:10.3390/nu17020277. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39861407 Orthomolecular MedicineOrthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org Find a DoctorTo locate an orthomolecular physician near you: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n09.shtml The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource. Editorial Review Board:Jennifer L. Aliano, M.S., L.Ac., C.C.N. (USA) Comments and media contact: editor@orthomolecular.org OMNS welcomes but is unable to respond to individual reader emails. Reader comments become the property of OMNS and may or may not be used for publication. Click here to see a web copy of this news release: http://orthomolecular.activehosted.com/p_v.php?c=464&m=403&s=bad97c655476f96a390a72c05a742011&d=0&v=2&l |
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