Maternal Serum Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy and Offspring Neurocognitive Development

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between maternal serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentrations during a critical window of fetal neurodevelopment and behavioral, emotional, and language outcomes of offspring. METHODS: Serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentrations of 743 Caucasian women in Perth, Western Australia (32°S) were measured at 18 weeks pregnancy and grouped into quartiles. Offspring behavior was measured with the Child Behavior Checklist at 2, 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17 years of age (n range = 412–652). Receptive language was assessed with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised at ages 5 (n = 534) and 10 (n = 474) years. Raw scores were converted to standardized scores, incorporating cutoffs for clinically significant levels of difficulty. RESULTS: χ2 analyses revealed no significant associations between maternal 25(OH)-vitamin D serum quartiles and offspring behavioral/emotional problems at any age. In contrast, there were significant linear trends between quartiles of maternal vitamin D levels and language impairment at 5 and 10 years of age. Multivariate regression analyses, incorporating a range of confounding variables, found that the risk of women with vitamin D insufficiency (≤46 nmol/L) during pregnancy having a child with clinically significant language difficulties was increased close to twofold compared with women with vitamin D levels >70 nmol/L. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy is significantly associated with offspring language impairment. Maternal vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may reduce the risk of developmental language difficulties among their children.

An observational study reveals that neonatal vitamin D is primarily determined by maternal contributions: implications of a new assay on the roles of vitamin D forms

“…Likewise, for the neonate, there is a putative association with being small-for-gestational age (SGA) [11]. Finally, as far as children are concerned, impaired neurocognitive development [12] and skeletal problems, such as reduced bone mineral content [13] have been reported.…”

Expressions of vitamin D metabolic components VDBP, CYP2R1, CYP27B1, CYP24A1, and VDR in placentas from normal and preeclamptic pregnancies

“…These results provide direct evidence of disrupted vitamin D metabolic homeostasis in the preeclamptic placenta and suggest that increased oxidative stress could be a causative factor of altered vitamin D metabolism in preeclamptic placentas. Vitamin D status during pregnancy has been drawing great attention (19,22,32,39). Studies have shown that sufficient vitamin D intake during pregnancy reduces the risk of complications, including gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and infection (8, 36).…”

Early-life risk factors for chronic nonrespiratory diseases

“…Substantial evidence links loss of cognition (IQ), dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to lead, methyl mercury, organophosphate and organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, arsenic, manganese, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, BPA, brominated flame retardants, and perfluorinated compounds [150]. Additional risk factors identified by longitudinal cohort studies or epidemiological studies include: low birth weight [159,160]; head trauma [161]; low parental education level [161]; family psychosocial adversity [162][163][164][165]; family dysfunction [166]; prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse and tobacco smoke [164,167,168]; Western diet and no or short duration breastfeeding [164,169]; and maternal vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy [170].…”