09.18.12
A mother’s consumption of vitamin D during pregnancy has been found to have a lasting influence on their baby’s brain development, mental and motor skills, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
Researchers in Spain measured the serum vitamin D levels of 1,820 women in their first or second trimester of pregnancy. Twenty percent of the women were vitamin D-deficient, while another 32% had insufficient levels of the vitamin. The researchers later evaluated the mental and motor abilities of their babies when they reached about 14 months of age.
The researchers found that the toddlers whose mothers were vitamin D-deficient scored about 2.6 points lower on a mental test and 2.3 points lower on a psychomotor test than those whose mothers had more adequate prenatal vitamin D levels.
The study authors speculated that the lower scores they observed could equate to lower IQ scores however they acknowledged the possibility that additional outside factors could have influenced the children’s mental and motor development.
Researchers in Spain measured the serum vitamin D levels of 1,820 women in their first or second trimester of pregnancy. Twenty percent of the women were vitamin D-deficient, while another 32% had insufficient levels of the vitamin. The researchers later evaluated the mental and motor abilities of their babies when they reached about 14 months of age.
The researchers found that the toddlers whose mothers were vitamin D-deficient scored about 2.6 points lower on a mental test and 2.3 points lower on a psychomotor test than those whose mothers had more adequate prenatal vitamin D levels.
The study authors speculated that the lower scores they observed could equate to lower IQ scores however they acknowledged the possibility that additional outside factors could have influenced the children’s mental and motor development.