AsianScientist (Feb. 15, 2012) – New research from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found that children of mums who had low levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy are twice as likely to have language difficulties.
The research, published this week in the journal Pediatrics, is the largest study of its kind into the link between a mother’s vitamin D levels and the effect on her child’s speech and behavioral development. However, no association was found between Vitamin D levels and childhood behavior and emotional problems.
Led by Associate Professor Andrew Whitehouse, the researchers studied more than 740 women for their Vitamin D levels during pregnancy, with follow up investigations of their child’s development and behavior at regular periods up to 17 years of age.
The finding was significant, said Prof. Whitehouse, given that Vitamin D levels among women are known to have decreased steadily over the past 20 years.
“The developing baby is completely reliant on the mother for its Vitamin D levels and what we have shown is that this might have an impact on the child’s brain development,” he said. “More research is needed for us to fully understand the impact of Vitamin D levels on the developing brain.”
Prof. Whitehouse hopes to explore whether early intervention methods such as Vitamin D supplements in pregnancy could reduce the risk of language problems for children.
The article can be found at: Whitehouse AJO et al. (2012) Maternal serum vitamin D levels during pregnancy and offspring neurocognitive development.
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Source: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.
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