Rats with Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and lactation produced offspring that displayed altered social behaviours in adulthood, revealed results of animal study published in the Journal of Endocrinology.
Autism is a lifelong condition that ranges in severity and impacts on how individuals interact and communicate with the world.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin is essential for strong bones. Vitamin D deficiency is reportedly increasing worldwide and cause bone pain and muscle weakness.
Advertisement
‘Kids born to women diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy are more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in later life.’
Tweet it Now
Human studies have found that lower levels of maternal Vitamin D during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of ASD in children. However, the biological mechanisms underpinning this relationship remain unclear.
Differences in social behaviour are a hallmark of numerous human conditions, including ASD.
These findings provide further evidence of the importance of maternal Vitamin D levels during pregnancy for brain development of offspring, the researchers said.
![Wonderful Stages of Pregnancy]( "Wonderful Stages of Pregnancy")
From your first week of your pregnancy to the last, here's a list of all the changes that take place.
"Our work reinforces that Vitamin D levels in early life influence brain development and can impact on how the brain functions in later life," said Caitlin Wyrwoll, Assistant Professor at the University of Western Australia.
For the study, the team assessed alterations in markers of brain function and social behaviours of adult rats, born to mothers that were Vitamin D deficient during pregnancy and lactation.
The results showed that the rats with vitamin D-deficient mothers displayed abnormal social behaviours, altered brain chemistry and impaired learning and memory and displayed altered social behaviours in adulthood.
"However, further work is needed to establish whether these associations also apply to humans," Wyrwoll said.
Source: IANS
These findings provide further evidence of the importance of maternal Vitamin D levels during pregnancy for brain development of offspring, the researchers said.
Wonderful Stages of Pregnancy
From your first week of your pregnancy to the last, here's a list of all the changes that take place.
Advertisement
"Our work reinforces that Vitamin D levels in early life influence brain development and can impact on how the brain functions in later life," said Caitlin Wyrwoll, Assistant Professor at the University of Western Australia.
For the study, the team assessed alterations in markers of brain function and social behaviours of adult rats, born to mothers that were Vitamin D deficient during pregnancy and lactation.
The results showed that the rats with vitamin D-deficient mothers displayed abnormal social behaviours, altered brain chemistry and impaired learning and memory and displayed altered social behaviours in adulthood.
"However, further work is needed to establish whether these associations also apply to humans," Wyrwoll said.
Source: IANS
Quiz on Autism
Introduction Autism spectrum disorder is a complex genetic disorder that impairs social, behavioral, and communication functions in humans. Autistic people may act, communicate, interact, and learn differently than most other people. ASD usually begins in childhood and can last for the rest of a person's life, though symptoms may improve over time . This quiz on ' Autism
Advertisement
 Vitamin Deficiency CalculatorVitamin deficiency is one of the major factors causing various diseases and conditions. Use this tool to know the vitamin that is deficient for any particular disease or condition. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Women Health News
The Army Hospital (R and R) Delhi Cantt hosted 'Mahawari Mein Swachchta,' a menstrual health awareness program.
Cannabis is marketed to women for managing menopause symptoms, and this shows midlife women are using it for menopause and related issues.
A higher risk of preterm birth was found to be associated with inadequate sleep and lower physical activity during pregnancy.
During the 7 pill-free days in contraception, women experience anxiety and mental issues similar to menstrual mood swings.
In the new study, it remains uncertain if the increased expression of the IGF1 gene in PCOS plays a role in elevating the risk of endometrial cancer.
