Already effective in the fight against childhood obesity, reduce the risk of autism, vitamin D during pregnancy is thought to decrease brain development disorders and behavioral disorders in children, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Journal of Endocrinology. These conclusions were obtained in rats.
Vitamin D against behavioral disorders in children
Researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA) conducted their study with rodents. They assessed the alterations in markers of brain function and social behavior in adult rats born to vitamin D-deficient mothers during pregnancy and thefeeding with milk. They found that rodents with mothers deficient in vitamin D exhibited abnormal social behaviors, altered brain chemistry, and impaired learning and memory.
“Our study reinforces the fact that vitamin D levels early in life influence brain development and may impact how the brain functions later in life. (…) We know that the environment from an early age can be a determining factor in the health of children as they grow older and, although this study is in rats, these data indicate that vitamin D levels during pregnancy are important for brain development and may be a risk factor for neurodevelopmental abnormalities, such as spectrum disorders.autism(TSA), explains Dr. Caitlin Wyrwoll.
No supplementation necessary
This is not the first study to demonstrate such a link since in 2016, British researchers had demonstrated a relationship between vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and the development of social disorders in children. At the time, 801,592 little Britons had been followed up to the age of 6.
A study Cochrane conducted in 2016 from 15 trials involving 2833 women, has more nuanced conclusions than Dr. Caitlin Wyrwoll since according to the authors: “theA single or continuous dose of vitamin D by pregnant women (…) could reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia, low birth weight and preterm delivery. However, when vitamin D and calcium are combined, the risk of preterm labor is increased.“.
Only folic acid supplementation is really necessary during pregnancy: a deficiency increases the risk of birth defects.
The health authorities do not recommend systematic supplementation either: “In the absence of sufficient evidence as to its benefits, vitamin D is not routinely offered to pregnant women.“(HAS, 2005).
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