Women not receiving enough vitamin D take longer to get pregnant and may even increase their risk of having a miscarriage, a study has found.
一项研究发现，没有摄入足够维生素D的女性需要更长的时间才能怀孕，甚至可能面临更高的流产风险。

Researchers analyzed levels of the essential nutrient in the blood, before pregnancy and eight weeks after, of 1,200 women who had experienced a previous pregnancy loss and were hoping to conceive again.
研究人员比对分析了1200名女性孕前和孕后8周血液中必需营养素的水平，这些女性此前都曾经历过妊娠失败，并希望能重新受孕。

Those whose vitamin D levels were in line with recommended levels prior to conception were 15% more likely to have a live birth, and risk of miscarriage decreased as levels of the vitamin rose.
那些在孕前体内维生素D水平与推荐水平一致的女性活产的可能性要高出15%，流产风险会随着维生素D水平的提高而降低。

"Our findings suggest that vitamin D may play a protective role in pregnancy," said Dr Sunni Mumford from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Rockville, Maryland.
马里兰州罗克维尔市尤妮斯甘乃迪施莱佛国家儿童健康与人类发展研究所的桑尼·芒福德博士表示：“我们的发现表明维生素D可能在怀孕中起到保护作用。”

The findings add to earlier studies which had suggested higher levels of vitamin D were beneficial in women undergoing in vitro fertilization.
这一发现进一步证实了早前的研究，即高水平的维生素D对人工授精的妇女有益。

In fact, vitamin D is also essential for the human body to absorb calcium and other minerals from the food and drinks we consume.
实际上，维生素D也是人体从食物和饮料中吸收钙和其他矿物质的必需物质。

Deficiencies can cause bone weakness and deformities, particularly in children who are growing rapidly where it can lead to rickets.
维生素D摄入不足会导致骨质疏松或骨头变形，尤其对于快速长身体的孩子而言，缺乏维生素D可能导致佝偻病。