A clinical trial published in The Journal of Nutrition recently found that maternal blood concentrations of vitamin D were significantly associated with healthy neurocognitive development in children between the ages of 4-6 years, providing further evidence for a well-investigated benefit associated with vitamin D.
 
“Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide problem affecting the general public and women of childbearing age, especially among those with darker skin,” the authors of the study said. “Observational studies have linked low perinatal and prenatal vitamin D to developmental brain disorders including schizophrenia and autism and some but not all cohort studies have found positive associations between gestational vitamin D and childhood IQ. During gestation vitamin D influences the expression of genes that regulate the production, migration, and differentiation of neuronal structures, setting the foundation for many aspects of future neurocognitive development.”
 
The study utilized data from CANDLE (Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood) cohort, who were assessed between 2006 and 2011. CANDLE recruited 1,503 women in their second trimester of healthy singleton pregnancies. Serum vitamin D concentrations were evaluated at 34 weeks gestation or longer, while the cognitive development of the children involved in the study was assessed using the Stanford-Binet IQ test between the ages of 4 and 6 years old.
 
Because most vitamin D is synthesized through the skin’s reaction to sunlight, it is known that people with darker skin pigmentation are at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency due to the high presence of melanin which reduces the body’s ability to produce vitamin D. For this reason, the researchers also explored whether these associations differed by race.
 
In the trial, mean vitamin D concentrations among 1019 eligible participants was 21.6 ± 8.4 ng/mL. It was found that a 10 ng/mL increase of serum vitamin D concentrations in mothers was associated with a 1.17-point higher Full Scale IQ in children between the ages of 4 and 6.
 
“Our findings highlight the importance of assessing 25(OH)D status in pregnant women and addressing deficiencies,” the authors concluded. “Vitamin D plays an important role in programming neurocognitive development. Vitamin D status may therefore be an important modifiable factor during pregnancy that can be optimized through appropriate nutritional recommendations and guidance. Vitamin D deficiency was especially prevalent among Black women in this cohort, suggesting a heightened need for screening and nutritional intervention in this vulnerable population.”