(Reuters) – women with low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are more likely to have children with language problems that the future mothers with higher levels of the vitamin, according to a study conducted in Australia.
While the study, published in the journal Pediatrics, showed that low levels of the vitamin are the cause of these problems itself, the researchers said that it is a “possible partnership” that requires more attention.
Previous research had shown a relationship between low vitamin D in pregnancy and problems in children as weaker bones, asthma and poor growth, said Andrew Whitehouse, author of the study, to do this, he worked at the University of Western Australia.
“Are not known completely the effects of maternal vitamin D levels lower on the son in development”, added the expert.
Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D.
20 Years ago, Whitehouse and his colleagues measured the vitamin D levels of more than 700 women who were approximately in the half of the pregnancy, in order to determine if the levels of the vitamin would have something to do with the subsequent conduct of children and their linguistic development.
Five and 10 years later, studied the children of these mothers to learn about their behavior and emotional development, as well as their language skills.
Researchers divided mothers into four groups, from lowest to highest level of vitamin D, and found that the risk of having a child with emotional problems or behaviour was the same in each group.
But when they observed the language skills, the team found that the mothers of the group with less vitamin D were more likely to have children with language problems – determined according to a test of vocabulary – than those in the category with more vitamin.
Thus, around 18 per cent of mothers in the Group of less vitamin had a child with language problems at age 10, compared with approximately 8 percent of moms in the category with more vitamin D.
“It is logical thinking that the inadequacy of maternal vitamin D during pregnancy is affecting the normal brain development course”, Whitehouse said to Reuters Health.
“If the lack of vitamin D during prenatal life is a cause of childhood language problems – and this must still be determined conclusively – then giving vitamin D supplements to pregnant women would a next important step,” he added.
However, the author made it clear that the study does not show a cause and effect relationship between vitamin D and language problems.
For his part, Lisa Bodnar, Professor of the University of Pittsburgh, who did not participate in the study, said it will be important for future studies to establish whether vitamin D is in fact guilty of language disorders, it is easy to fix with supplements problem.
