Study: Vitamin D may reduce risk of pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and more
Supplementing pregnant women with vitamin D may reduce the risk of pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birthweight and severe postpartum hemorrhage, study suggests.
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is now widespread in the UK and most other developed countries owing to modern indoor lifestyles, as exposure of the skin to bright sunlight, not diet is the main source, and most people fail to supplement enough to maintain optimal levels, especially duing the winter months.Low vitamin D levels are associated not only with weak bones and musculoskeletal disorders (the classic deficiency syndrome is rickets) - but with impaired immunity, and a very wide range of 'non-communicable diseases' - including neurodevelopmental, psychiatric and neurological disorders. Pregnancy is a critical developmental period in which nutritional deficiencies - and other environmental influences - can have lifelong consequences via 'progamming' effects on gene expression, some of which are irreversible.
Animal studies have identified multiple mechanisms by which maternal Vitamin D deficiencies can disrupt normal brain development, with effects varying with both timing and severity. Consistent with this, human studies show poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in children born to mothers with lower Vitamin D status, including suboptimal motor and language development and higher risks for conditions including autism, ADHD and schizophrenia
However, definitive evidence of causality - for which randomised controlled clinical trials (RCT) are regarded as the 'gold standard' remains difficult to obtain for numerous ethical and practical reasons.
The trials in this latest Cochrane Systematic Review of Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy did not include measures of infant neurodevelopmental outcomes.
However, meta-analysis of 30 such RCTs found 'probable' benefits including reduced risks of several adverse pregancy outcomes, including pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birthweight and severe postpartum hemorrhage.
Like all good researchers, the lead author was suitably cautious in her conclusions, but noted that the W.H.O. is now updating guidelines to recommend supplementation of Vitamin D during pregnancy following this updated systematic review.
See the underlying research here:
For more information on the vital importance of Vitamin D - and the mounting evidence linking Vitamin D deficiency (particularly in early life) to a wide range of different developmental and mental health conditions as well as co-occuring physical health problems, please see the following lists, which are regularly updated.
When a woman becomes pregnant, among the many items to typically buy is vitamins. Studies have shown that vitamin supplements during pregnancy are key to the fetus' development.
At the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Cristina Palacios, professor in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, has been studying the effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy for more than a decade.
Her most recent findings showed that supplementing pregnant women with vitamin D alone probably reduces the risk of pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birthweight and may reduce the risk of severe postpartum hemorrhage.
"This is quite impressive, as usually we do not see such an effect from only one vitamin," Palacios. said
When combined with calcium, it may increase the risk of preterm birth. However, the results are driven mainly by only one trial; therefore, results should be interpreted with caution and more studies are needed to elucidate this.
Palacios has conducted several systematic reviews on vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy through her work with the World Health Organization (WHO) and those reviews have been used to set the WHO Guidelines on Vitamin D Supplementation in Pregnancy.
"Currently, only a few countries (including the U.S.) recommend vitamin D supplementation as part of the prenatal care," Palacios said.
"Based on the lack of evidence reported in the previous systematic reviews (2012 and 2016), the WHO did not recommend provision of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy as part of routine antenatal care (WHO 2016).
"However, the WHO is now updating this guideline based on newer evidence from the 2019 systematic review."
Worldwide, vitamin D deficiency is a common problem, particularly during pregnancy. Vitamin D helps the fetus in developing bone structure as well as assisting in the development of the brain, muscles and immune response system.
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