Vitamin D deficiency in infancy may increase risk of ADHD, autism, research finds
The development of a group of mental disorders, ranging from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to schizophrenia, have been linked to vitamin D deficiencies in newborn babies, a new study found.
The research, led by Australian professor John McGrath from the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute, examined the vitamin D status of more than 70,000 people in a population study and was published in the June issue of the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Psychiatry.
“Vitamin D is important for a baby’s brain development, and low vitamin D levels are common in pregnant women across the globe,” McGrath said in a May 15 news release from the University of Queensland. “This is why many countries recommended the use of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy.”
The vitamin comes most often from sun exposure but is also present in some food and dietary supplements, researchers said.
Previous research linked neonatal, or newborn, vitamin d deficiencies with increased risk of developing schizophrenia, according to the study, but there was a gap in examining other mental disorders commonly diagnosed in childhood.
The Study
Using national health registers in Denmark between 1981 and 2005, the research team looked for individuals diagnosed with at least one of six disorders: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anorexia nervosa, according to the study.
The cohort was pulled from the entire population of Denmark born during that time frame, researchers said, all of whom underwent a routine screening test at birth that collected dried blood spots.
These blood spots were then tested for 25(OH)D, or the primary form of vitamin D that circulates in the blood and helps regulate calcium and phosphate levels within the body, according to the study.
When the researchers compared the vitamin D levels of those who had developed the mental disorders included in the study, they found a link.
The Findings
Those with lower levels of vitamin D immediately after birth had an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, supporting what had been suspected in previous research, according to the study.
But the cohort also revealed links with other conditions.
Higher concentrations of vitamin D were associated with decreased risk of autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, according to the study.
On the other side of the spectrum, vitamin D deficiency seemed to act as a protective factor against anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder, researchers said.
“Risk factors traditionally linked to increased risks of schizophrenia, ADHD and ASD, such as lower intelligence and worse school performance, and childhood adversities, are paradoxically protective for anorexia nervosa,” according to the study.
The research team noted one vitamin is likely not the only factor impacting the development of these mental disorders, as genetics and behavior of the mother also impact early childhood development, but something as simple as a prenatal vitamin may help decrease the risk.
“Similar to how folate supplements are recommended during pregnancy to prevent spina bifida, our research suggests that optimizing vitamin D levels in early life may reduce the risk of several neurodevelopmental disorders,” McGrath said in the release.
The findings were part of a larger study founded in 2012, known as iPSYCH, designed to investigate mental disorders in Denmark, according to the release.
The research team includes McGrath, Henriette Thisted Horsdal, Clara Albiñana, Zhihong Zhu, Sanne Grundvad Boelt, Nis Borbye-Lorenzen, Arieh S Cohen, Kristin Skogstrand, Lars Melgaard, Nadia Jensen MacSween, Marta Jadwiga Thorbek, Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, Liselotte Vogdrup Petersen, Cynthia M Bulik, Anders D Børglum, Ole Mors, Merete Nordentoft, Thomas Werge, Gunn-Helen Moen, Shannon D’Urso, Naomi R Wray, Bjarni J Vilhjálmsson, Esben Agerbo, Carsten Bøcker Pedersen and Preben Bo Mortensen.
