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Maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy and early childhood wheezing

Graham Devereux1, Augusto A Litonjua, Stephen W Turner

  • 1Department of Environmental, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|March 9, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy is linked to reduced wheezing symptoms in children. Higher intake is associated with a lower risk of persistent wheeze and improved bronchodilator response.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy is an understudied factor in childhood asthma development.
  • Asthma is a significant public health concern in early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy and the risk of wheezing symptoms in young children.
  • To explore the relationship between maternal vitamin D levels and respiratory health outcomes in offspring at age 5.

Main Methods:

  • A birth cohort study recruited 2000 pregnant women.
  • Maternal vitamin D intake was assessed using food-frequency questionnaires at 32 weeks gestation.
  • Wheezing symptoms, spirometry, and other respiratory parameters were measured in children at age 5.

Main Results:

  • Maternal vitamin D intake was inversely associated with the risk of ever wheezing, wheezing in the past year, and persistent wheezing in children.
  • Higher maternal vitamin D intake correlated with a decreased risk of persistent wheeze (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.98).
  • Lower maternal vitamin D intake was associated with reduced bronchodilator responsiveness (P = 0.04).

Conclusions:

  • Increasing maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy may be a protective factor against wheezing symptoms in early childhood.
  • This finding suggests a potential role for vitamin D supplementation or dietary recommendations in prenatal care to reduce childhood respiratory issues.
Abstract

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