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Can Getting Enough Vitamin D during Pregnancy Reduce the Risk of Getting Asthma in Childhood?

Evangelia Bountouvi1, Konstantinos Douros1, Anna Papadopoulou1

  • 1Third Department of Pediatrics, Athens University Medical School, University General Hospital "Attikon", Athens, Greece.

Frontiers in Pediatrics
|May 12, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy may influence childhood asthma risk. Supplementation shows potential benefits for asthma-related traits, particularly in vitamin D-deficient mothers at high risk.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatology
  • Pediatric Allergy
  • Nutritional Immunology

Background:

  • Rising global asthma prevalence and vitamin D deficiency suggest a link.
  • Maternal vitamin D status during gestation may impact fetal programming for asthma.
  • Previous observational studies yielded inconclusive results regarding this association.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of maternal vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on asthma development in offspring.
  • To explore the potential benefits of vitamin D for high-risk pregnancies.

Main Methods:

  • Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted.
  • Increased vitamin D doses were administered to pregnant women at high risk for having an asthmatic child.
  • Outcomes focused on asthma incidence and asthma-related phenotypes in children.

Main Results:

  • RCTs indicated a potential association between maternal vitamin D supplementation and asthma-related phenotypes, rather than asthma diagnosis itself.
  • No significant adverse effects were noted due to the low toxicity of vitamin D supplements.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal vitamin D supplementation may offer benefits for asthma-related traits in offspring.
  • Pregnant women at high risk for asthma in their children, especially if vitamin D deficient, might benefit from supplementation.

Keywords:
asthmachildhoodpregnancy outcomevitamin Dvitamin D supplementation

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