title: Vitamin D in fetal development: findings from a birth cohort study.
abstract: Birth cohort studies provide an invaluable resource for studies of the influence of the fetal environment on health in later life. It is uncertain to what extent maternal vitamin D status influences fetal development. Using an unselected community-based cohort of 901 mother-offspring pairs (the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort [Raine] Study), we examined the relationship between maternal vitamin D deficiency at 18 weeks' pregnancy and long-term health outcomes of offspring who were born in Perth, Western Australia (32° South), in 1989-1991. Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] <50 nmol/L) was present in 36% (323 of 901) of the pregnant women. After adjusting for relevant covariates, maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy was associated with impaired lung development in 6-year-old offspring, neurocognitive difficulties at age 10, increased risk of eating disorders in adolescence, and lower peak bone mass at 20 years. In summary, vitamin D may have an important, multifaceted role in the development of fetal lungs, brain, and bone. Experimental animal studies support an active contribution of vitamin D to organ development. Randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women with long-term follow-up of offspring are urgently required to examine whether the correction of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women is beneficial for their offspring and to determine the optimal level of maternal serum 25(OH)D for fetal development.
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute, Prue.Hart@telethonkids.org.au.
authors.forename: Prue H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia;
authors.forename: Robyn M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Australia; and School of Medicine and Pharmacology, and.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Graeme R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Zosky
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute.
authors.forename: Andrew J O
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Australia; and School of Medicine and Pharmacology, and.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia;
authors.forename: Karina L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute.
authors.forename: Merci M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kusel
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute.
authors.forename: Jenny A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mountain
mesh_terms: D001846:Bone Development; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008168:Lung / Q000254:growth & development; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: bones; brain; developmental origins of health and disease; lungs; pregnancy; vitamin D deficiency