(Reuters) – women with low levels of vitamin
D during pregnancy are more likely to have children with
language problems than the future mothers with higher levels
vitamin, suggests a study in Australia.
While the study, published in the Journal Pediatrics, not
it showed that low levels of the vitamin are the cause itself
of these problems, the researchers said that it is one
Association as possible, requiring more attention.
Previous research showed some relationships between
Low vitamin D in pregnancy and problems in children as
weaker bones, asthma and poor growth, said Andrew
Whitehouse, author of the study, that to make it working in the
University of Western Australia.
“The effects of maternal vitamin D levels under
“”
on the son in development are not completely known”, added
the expert.
Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D.
Twenty years ago, Whitehouse and his colleagues measured levels
vitamin D more than 700 women who were crossing
about half of the pregnancy, in order to determine
If the vitamin levels would have something to do with the
subsequent conduct of boys and their linguistic development.
Five and 10 years later, assessed the children of those
mothers to know their behavioural development and emotional and their
language skills.
The researchers divided mothers into four groups,
of minors to higher levels of vitamin D, and found that the
risk of having a child with behavioral or emotional problems
was the same in each group.
But when observed linguistic capabilities, the
team found that mothers of the group with lower levels of
vitamin D were more likely to have children with problems of
language – specific according to a test of vocabulary – that
those in the category with most vitamin.
For example, around 18 per cent of mothers in the
lower levels of the vitamin Group had a child with problems
language at age 10, compared with approximately 8
percent of moms in the cohort with the highest level.
“The logical thing is to think that the maternal failure of
“
vitamin D during pregnancy is affecting the normal course
“
of brain development”, said Whitehouse to Reuters Health.
“If the lack of vitamin D during prenatal life
“
it is a cause of problems of language in children – and this still
must be determined conclusively – then the
pregnant women with vitamin D supplementation would be
“
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 the
language problems.
Furthermore, Lisa Bodnar, Professor of the University of
Pittsburgh, which did not participate in the study, said that it will be
important for future studies to establish whether vitamin D is
in fact guilty of the disorders of language, it is a
problem easy to fix with supplements.
