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Updated: Sep 18, 2025
Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Gestational vitamin D concentration and child cognitive development: a longitudinal cohort study in the Environmental
Melissa M Melough1, Monica McGrath2, Meredith Palmore2
1Department of Health Behavior and Nutrition Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.
Insights
Maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy are linked to better child cognitive development, particularly in fluid cognition. Early pregnancy may be a critical window for vitamin D exposure to support neurodevelopment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Public Health
Background:
- Low vitamin D is prevalent, especially in pregnant women and individuals with darker skin.
- Inadequate vitamin D during gestation may negatively impact fetal brain development and subsequent cognitive function in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy and children's cognitive performance.
- To determine if race modifies this relationship and identify critical windows of exposure during gestation.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 912 mother-child dyads.
- Measured 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in prenatal or cord blood.
- Assessed child cognition at ages 7-12 years using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery.
- Analyzed associations using mixed-effects linear models and explored sensitive periods.
Main Results:
- Higher gestational 25(OH)D concentrations correlated with improved overall and fluid cognition scores.
- Associations were stronger for fluid cognition in children of Black mothers compared to non-Black mothers.
- Early pregnancy emerged as a potential critical window for vitamin D exposure impacting cognitive outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Gestational vitamin D is positively associated with childhood cognitive scores, with a notable effect on fluid cognition in children of Black mothers.
- Vitamin D supplementation before or during early pregnancy could be a strategy to mitigate racial disparities in neurodevelopment.
Background:
Low vitamin D concentrations are common-especially among those with darker pigmented skin-and are frequently observed during pregnancy. Given its important role in brain development, inadequate gestational vitamin D may impair child cognitive development.
Objectives:
We aimed to evaluate associations of gestational vitamin D concentrations with childhood cognitive scores, explore whether this relationship differs by self-reported race, and examine sensitive exposure windows within pregnancy.
Methods:
This prospective cohort study included 912 mother-child dyads (37.3% Black, 52.3% White) from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program. 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were measured in prenatal or cord blood collected between 4 and 42 wk gestation (median: 23 wk). Children's cognition was assessed at ages 7-12 y using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. Relationships of 25(OH)D and cognitive scores were examined using mixed-effects linear models adjusted for confounders. Potential sensitive periods were explored by estimating population 25(OH)D patterns across gestation for varying levels of the cognitive outcomes.
Results:
Mean gestational 25(OH)D was 23.8 ng/mL (SD: 10.0 ng/mL). Each 10-ng/mL increase was associated with greater overall (β: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.08, 2.14) and fluid cognition scores (β: 1.21; 95% CI: 0.07, 2.34), but not crystallized cognition. Although these associations were not significantly modified by self-reported race, associations appeared stronger in children of Black mothers (β: 2.99; 95% CI: 0.82, 5.16) than those in non-Black mothers (β: 0.43; 95% CI: -0.93, 1.78) for fluid cognition. Early pregnancy may be a critical exposure period, evidenced by the greatest divergence in the pattern of 25(OH)D during this period between the mothers of children in the 90th and those in the 10th percentiles of cognitive outcomes.
Conclusions:
Gestational 25(OH)D concentrations were positively associated with cognitive scores, especially in children of Black mothers. Given higher deficiency risk among Black women, vitamin D repletion before or in early pregnancy may be an important strategy for reducing racial disparities in child neurodevelopment.
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