Low maternal vitamin D levels elevate risk for ADHD in offspring
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Pregnant women who had maternal vitamin 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels less than 100 nmol/L were more likely to have children with ADHD, according to a population-based case-control study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
“The data were collected from Finland, which is among the northernmost European countries with very little sunlight exposure during the winter, and before 2004, when the national recommendation for vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women was initiated,” Minna Sucksdorff, MD, of the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland, and colleagues wrote. “The consequent vulnerability to vitamin D deficiency allowed for enrichment of the exposure, further improving the power to investigate this association.”
Researchers retrospectively analyzed serum levels collected during the first trimester of pregnancy from 1,067 mothers (mean age, 27.9 years) whose children later received an ADHD diagnosis and an equal number of mothers (mean age, 29.5 years) whose children did not. The offspring were matched 1:1 based on birthdates, birthplaces and sex.
Sucksdorff and colleagues found a significant association between lower maternal 25(OH)D levels (< 100 nmol/L) and offspring with ADHD in unadjusted analyses (OR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.33–2.05). They saw similar results in adjusted analyses based on maternal socioeconomic status and age (OR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.15–1.81).
In addition, a comparison of the lowest quintile maternal 25(OH)D levels (7.5 nmol/L – 21.9 nmol/L) vs. the highest quintile maternal 25(OH)D levels (49.5 nmol/L – 132.5 nmol/L) showed higher odds for offspring to receive an ADHD diagnosis (adjusted OR = 1.53; 95% CI, 1.11–2.12). The median maternal 25(OH)D level among women whose children later received an ADHD diagnosis was 29.2 nmol/L (range = 8.9 nmol/L – 115.6 nmol/L) and 32.2 nmol/L (range = 7.5 nmol/L – 132.5 nmol/L) among controls.
Existing research on the biology behind pre-birth brain development and vitamin D support the findings, according to researchers.
“Early pregnancy is a critical period for fetal brain development, which is a complex process influenced by the individual’s genotype and the in utero environment,” Sucksdorff and colleagues wrote.
“Low vitamin D levels result from inadequate sun exposure, low vitamin D intake from diet, and physiological risk factors such as obesity and skin color,” they continued. “Vitamin D receptors are expressed in the brain, and research has shown that vitamin D affects brain function through regulation of calcium signaling, neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions, neuronal differentiation, maturation and growth.” – by Janel Miller
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.