Exposure To Prenatal Air Pollution Tied To Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants

Exposure to urban air pollution during gestation lowers vitamin D levels in offspring which could affect the child's risk of developing diseases later in life, according to a study. Recent data have demonstrated that maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may have an influence on the development of asthma and allergic diseases in offspring. A number of factors may influence vitamin D supply in women. Exposure to high levels of air pollution has been suggested as a contributor to vitamin D deficiency in adults and children.

"We investigated the associations between gestational exposure to urban air pollutants and vitamin D cord blood serum level," said Nour Baïz, MASc, of Intitut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) in Paris, France who led the study. "Our findings show for the first time, that exposure to ambient air pollution comparable to current World Health Organization standards might contribute to vitamin D deficiency in newborns."

In this study, researchers investigated the associations between gestational exposure to urban air pollutants and 25-hydroxyvitamin D cord blood serum level in 375 mother-child pairs. Maternal exposure to urban levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter less than 10 micro meters during the whole pregnancy was a strong predictor of low vitamin D status in newborns. The association between gestational exposure to air pollutants and vitamin D deficiency in newborns was strongest for third-trimester exposures.

Source-Eurekalert