Supplementing Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Reduce Autism Risk in Fetus

Highlights

Pregnant women with low Vitamin D levels are at an increased likelihood of having a child with autistic traits.
Supplementing Vitamin D to the mother during the first trimester of pregnancy might reduce the chances of autism.
The active hormonal form of vitamin D cannot be given to pregnant women because it may affect the skeleton of the developing fetus and further research is needed.

Prenatal supplementation of vitamin D prevents autism traits in the offspring, University of Queensland researchers have discovered.

The discovery provides further evidence of the crucial role vitamin D plays in brain development, said lead researcher Professor Darryl Eyles, from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute.

Vitamin D Deficiency - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin is essential for strong bones. Vitamin D deficiency is reportedly increasing worldwide and cause bone pain and muscle weakness.

‘Early dietary supplementation of Vitamin D may help prevent neuro developmental disorders. Vitamin D was crucial for maintaining healthy bones, but the active hormonal form of vitamin D cannot be given to pregnant women because it may affect the skeleton of the developing fetus.’

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"Our study used the most widely accepted developmental model of autism in which affected mice behave abnormally and show deficits in social interaction, basic learning and stereotyped behaviours," Professor Eyles said.

"We found that pregnant females treated with active vitamin D in the equivalent of the first trimester of pregnancy produced offspring that did not develop these deficits."

Low levels of Vitamin D & Autism

Medical Management of Vitamin Deficiencies
Vitamins are essential for our body to grow and develop normally. Vitamin deficiencies are widespread. Understand the role of dietary sources in vitamin deficiency prevention.

In human studies, QBI researchers recently found a link between pregnant women with low Vitamin D levels and the increased likelihood of having a child with autistic traits.

Autism -- or autism spectrum disorder -- describes lifelong developmental disabilities including difficulty or inability to communicate with others and interact socially. Sun exposure is the major source of vitamin D -- which skin cells manufacture in response to UV rays -- but it is also found in some foods.

Sunlight: An Important Source of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin necessary for the development of bones. Sunlight helps the body to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency results in rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

Dr Wei Luan, a postdoctoral researcher involved in the study, said vitamin D was crucial for maintaining healthy bones, but the active hormonal form of vitamin D cannot be given to pregnant women because it may affect the skeleton of the developing fetus.

"Recent funding will now allow us to determine how much cholecalciferol - the supplement form that is safe for pregnant women -- is needed to achieve the same levels of active hormonal vitamin D in the bloodstream," said Dr Luan.

Foods that Negatively Affect Bone Density
Calcium and vitamin D are known to improve bone health. Most people are aware of the foods which promote bone health but are unaware of those that lower bone density leading to osteoporosis.

"This new information will allow us to further investigate the ideal dose and timing of vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women. It was previously thought vitamin D had a protective anti-inflammatory effect during brain development, but the study didn't find this to be the case.” New funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council will allow researchers to continue to study how vitamin D protects against autism.

vitamin D interferes with pro-inflammatory transcription factors and signaling pathways, regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory enzymes, and modulates cytokine gene expression, protein production, and signaling.

Reference

Stephanie Vuillermot et al., Vitamin D treatment during pregnancy prevents autism-related phenotypes in a mouse model of maternal immune, Molecular Autism (2017) http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-017-0125-0.

Source-Medindia