title: Does vitamin D during pregnancy impact offspring growth and                     bone?
abstract: During pregnancy, maternal and fetal Ca demands are met through increased                    intestinal Ca absorption. Increased Ca absorption may be more dependent on                    oestrogen's up-regulation of Ca transport genes than on vitamin D                    status. Numerous studies, however, have found that severe vitamin D deficiency                    with secondary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy leads to abnormal Ca                    homoeostasis in the neonate. Some, but not all, studies of maternal vitamin D                    supplementation during pregnancy find a greater birth weight among infants of                    mothers with adequate vitamin D status. Observational studies find a higher                    incidence of small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants among                    mothers who are vitamin D deficient, but this effect may be modified by                    genetics. In addition, the effect of vitamin D status on SGA may not be linear,                    with increased occurrence of SGA at high maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D                    (25-OHD) concentrations. Some studies, but not all, also                    have found that maternal vitamin D status is associated with growth trajectory                    during the first year of life, although the findings are contradictory. There                    are recent studies that suggest maternal 25-OHD, or surrogates of vitamin D                    status, are associated with growth and bone mass later in childhood. These                    results are not consistent, and blinded randomised trials of vitamin D                    supplementation during pregnancy with long-term follow-up are needed to                    determine the benefits, and possible risks, of maternal vitamin D status on                    offspring growth and bone development. The possibility of adverse outcomes with                    higher maternal 25-OHD concentrations should be considered and investigated in                    all ongoing and future studies.
authors.affiliation: EA Martin Program in Human Nutrition, SWC, Box 506, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA. bonny.specker@sdstate.edu
authors.forename: Bonny L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Specker
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D