High Vitamin D levels during pregnancy linked to high IQ in child
By: Team Ifairer | Posted: 04-11-2020
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Researchers have found that mothers' vitamin D levels during pregnancy were associated with their children's IQ, suggesting that higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy may lead to greater childhood IQ scores. A mother's vitamin D supply is passed to her baby in utero and helps regulate processes including brain development, the study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, reported.
According to the researchers, vitamin D deficiency is common among the general population as well as pregnant women, but 'Black' women are at greater risk. "Melanin pigment protects the skin against sun damage, but by blocking UV rays, melanin also reduces vitamin D production in the skin," said study lead author Melissa Melough from the Seattle Children's Research Institute in the US.
"Our work brings greater awareness to this problem, shows the long-lasting implications of prenatal vitamin D for the child and their neurocognitive development," Melough added. According to the study, as many as 80 per cents of Black pregnant women in the US may be deficient in vitamin D.