ADHD: Lack Of This Vitamin During Early Pregnancy Could Put Children At A Higher Risk

Recent estimates suggested that 81% of mothers have been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency every year. Because of increased skin pigmentation and low dietary intake, African American women are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency compared to others.

The findings from new European research suggested that kids might be at a higher risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) if the mothers suffered from vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy.

The researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, and their team analyzed the data of 1067 children born between 1998-1999 diagnosed with ADHD and 1,067 children without the condition. They also looked at the data on their mothers’ vitamin D levels during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

The findings of the study revealed that the children whose mothers were deficient of vitamin D during the first two trimesters were at a 34% higher risk of ADHD compared to those whose mothers had sufficient levels of the sunshine vitamin. The results held true despite taking into account the mother’s gestational age, psychiatric background as well as socioeconomic status.

This study is the first-ever to investigate the relationship between low maternal vitamin D levels in early stages of pregnancy and a higher risk of diagnosed ADHD in children at the population level.

Despite the current national recommendation of vitamin D intake during pregnancy being 10 micrograms per day, several mothers in Finland lack a sufficient level of the vitamin. The researchers opine that vitamin D deficiency is not only a concern in countries like Finland but throughout the world.

"This research offers strong evidence that a low level of vitamin D during pregnancy is related to attention deficiency in offspring. As ADHD is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, the research results have a great significance for public health," Science Daily quoted the study’s lead author Professor Sourander.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to poor bone development and as the cause of rickets. Previous studies have reported that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy might lead to increased risk of infections, bacterial vaginosis, cesarean delivery, preeclampsia, neonatal hypocalcemia, poor postnatal growth, bone fragility, autoimmune diseases, and gestational diabetes.