Prenatal Vitamin D Levels in Maternal Sera and Offspring Specific Learning Disorders

Abstract

Recent evidence has suggested potential harmful effects of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy on offspring brain development, for example, elevated risks for neuropsychiatric disorders. Findings on general cognition and academic achievement are mixed, and no studies have examined the effect of prenatal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels on diagnosed specific learning disorders, which was the aim of this study. We examined a nested case–control sample from the source cohort of all singleton-born children in Finland between 1996 and 1997 (n = 115,730). A total of 1607 cases with specific learning disorders (mean age at diagnosis: 9.9 years) and 1607 matched controls were identified from Finnish nationwide registers. Maternal 25(OH)D levels were analyzed from serum samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy and stored in a national biobank. Conditional logistic regression was used to test the association between maternal 25(OH)D and offspring specific learning disorders. There were no significant associations between maternal 25(OH)D levels and specific learning disorders when vitamin D was examined as a log-transformed continuous variable (adjusted OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.82–1.18, p = 0.84) or as a categorical variable (25(OH)D < 30 nmol/L: adjusted OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.83–1.28, p = 0.77 compared to levels of >50 nmol/L), nor when it was divided into quintiles (adjusted OR for the lowest quintile 1.00, 95% CI 0.78–1.28, p = 0.99 compared to the highest quintile). This study found no association between low maternal 25(OH)D in early pregnancy and offspring specific learning disorders.

Vitamin D levels of pregnant immigrant women and developmental disorders of language, learning and coordination in offspring

“…affected the risk of language, learning and coordination disorders in offspring to immigrant mothers. The findings are in line with some previous studies that have not found any associations between maternal serum vitamin D and learning-related outcomes, such as academic achievement, IQ or specific learning disorders [11,16,17].…”

“…A meta-analysis indicated possible small adverse effects of prenatal vitamin D deficiency on cognitive and language development [ 10 ]. In our previous study including over 3,000 pregnant women, vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy was not associated with specific learning disorders in offspring in a Finnish sample [ 11 ]. However, some studies have indicated possible effect moderation by race or ethnic group on the associations between prenatal vitamin D levels and developmental outcomes [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Vitamin D and the Central Nervous System: Causative and Preventative Mechanisms in Brain Disorders

“…In contrast, fifteen mother–child studies (n = 20,778) and eight studies in children (n = 7496) showed no association [ 101 ]. A large Finnish nested case-control study (1607 children with learning difficulties with matched controls) also showed no link between maternal 25(OH)D 3 levels and behaviour [ 102 ].…”

The Role of Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency in Offspring Obesity: A Narrative Review

“…However, in this study, pre-pregnancy BMI of pregnant women with VD deficiency was unclear [ 110 ]. It has also been reported that maternal VD deficits are linked to cognitive disorders in offspring, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ 111 ], schizophrenia [ 112 ], and learning disorders [ 113 ].…”