Low Vitamin D in Pregnancy Tied to More Behavioral Problems in Children

There is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy, particularly among Black women

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Lower gestational 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations are associated with later behavioral problems in offspring, according to a study published online April 4 in the Journal of Nutrition.

Melissa M. Melough, Ph.D., from the University of Delaware in Newark, and colleagues examined the relationship between gestational 25(OH)D concentrations and childhood behavior. The analysis included mother-child dyads (early childhood [1.5 to 5 years], 1,688 dyads; middle childhood [6 to 13 years], 1,480 dyads) participating in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program.

The researchers found that approximately 45 percent of mothers were vitamin D-deficient (25(OH)D

“This study confirmed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy, particularly among Black women, and revealed evidence of an association between lower gestational 25(OH)D and childhood behavioral problems. Associations were more apparent in analyses restricted to prenatal rather than cord blood samples,” the authors write. “Interventions to correct vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy should be explored as a strategy to improve childhood behavioral outcomes.”