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Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood bone mass at age 9 years: a longitudinal study

Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood bone mass at age 9 years: a longitudinal study
Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood bone mass at age 9 years: a longitudinal study
Bsckfround: Vitamin D insufficiency is common in women of childbearing age and increasing evidence suggests that the risk of osteoporotic fracture in adulthood could be determined partly by environmental factors during intrauterine and early postnatal life. We investigated the effect of maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy on childhood skeletal growth.

Methods: In a longitudinal study, we studied 198 children born in 1991-92 in a hospital in Southampton, UK; the body build, nutrition, and vitamin D status of their mothers had been characterised during pregnancy. The children were followed up at age 9 years to relate these maternal characteristics to their body size and bone mass.

Findings: 49 (31%) mothers had insufficient and 28 (18%) had deficient circulating concentrations of 25(OH)-vitamin D during late pregnancy. Reduced concentration of 25(OH)-vitamin D in mothers during late pregnancy was associated with reduced whole-body (r=0.21, p=0.0088) and lumbar-spine (r=0.17, p=0.03) bone-mineral content in children at age 9 years. Both the estimated exposure to ultraviolet B radiation during late pregnancy and the maternal use of vitamin D supplements predicted maternal 25(OH)-vitamin D concentration (p<0.0001 and p=0.0110, respectively) and childhood bone mass (p=0.0267). Reduced concentration of umbilical-venous calcium also predicted reduced childhood bone mass (p=0.0286).

Interpretation: Maternal vitamin D insufficiency is common during pregnancy and is associated with reduced bone-mineral accrual in the offspring during childhood; this association is mediated partly through the concentration of umbilical venous calcium. Vitamin D supplementation of pregnant women, especially during winter months, could lead to longlasting reductions in the risk of osteoporotic fracture in their offspring.
0140-6736
36-43
Javaid, M.K.
51d3310b-032e-4c15-83ac-b878bce090f3
Crozier, S.R.
a97b1967-f6af-413a-8eb0-69fa25534d68
Harvey, N.C.
ce487fb4-d360-4aac-9d17-9466d6cba145
Gale, C.R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Dennison, E.M.
ee647287-edb4-4392-8361-e59fd505b1d1
Boucher, B.J.
cf2adb5e-1332-42b3-90ad-7e2629aa4798
Arden, N.K.
23af958d-835c-4d79-be54-4bbe4c68077f
Godfrey, K.M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Javaid, M.K.
51d3310b-032e-4c15-83ac-b878bce090f3
Crozier, S.R.
a97b1967-f6af-413a-8eb0-69fa25534d68
Harvey, N.C.
ce487fb4-d360-4aac-9d17-9466d6cba145
Gale, C.R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Dennison, E.M.
ee647287-edb4-4392-8361-e59fd505b1d1
Boucher, B.J.
cf2adb5e-1332-42b3-90ad-7e2629aa4798
Arden, N.K.
23af958d-835c-4d79-be54-4bbe4c68077f
Godfrey, K.M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6

Javaid, M.K., Crozier, S.R., Harvey, N.C., Gale, C.R., Dennison, E.M., Boucher, B.J., Arden, N.K., Godfrey, K.M. and Cooper, C. (2006) Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood bone mass at age 9 years: a longitudinal study. The Lancet, 367 (9504), 36-43. (doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)67922-1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Bsckfround: Vitamin D insufficiency is common in women of childbearing age and increasing evidence suggests that the risk of osteoporotic fracture in adulthood could be determined partly by environmental factors during intrauterine and early postnatal life. We investigated the effect of maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy on childhood skeletal growth.

Methods: In a longitudinal study, we studied 198 children born in 1991-92 in a hospital in Southampton, UK; the body build, nutrition, and vitamin D status of their mothers had been characterised during pregnancy. The children were followed up at age 9 years to relate these maternal characteristics to their body size and bone mass.

Findings: 49 (31%) mothers had insufficient and 28 (18%) had deficient circulating concentrations of 25(OH)-vitamin D during late pregnancy. Reduced concentration of 25(OH)-vitamin D in mothers during late pregnancy was associated with reduced whole-body (r=0.21, p=0.0088) and lumbar-spine (r=0.17, p=0.03) bone-mineral content in children at age 9 years. Both the estimated exposure to ultraviolet B radiation during late pregnancy and the maternal use of vitamin D supplements predicted maternal 25(OH)-vitamin D concentration (p<0.0001 and p=0.0110, respectively) and childhood bone mass (p=0.0267). Reduced concentration of umbilical-venous calcium also predicted reduced childhood bone mass (p=0.0286).

Interpretation: Maternal vitamin D insufficiency is common during pregnancy and is associated with reduced bone-mineral accrual in the offspring during childhood; this association is mediated partly through the concentration of umbilical venous calcium. Vitamin D supplementation of pregnant women, especially during winter months, could lead to longlasting reductions in the risk of osteoporotic fracture in their offspring.

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More information

Published date: 7 January 2006
Organisations: Dev Origins of Health & Disease

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 61249
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/61249
ISSN: 0140-6736
PURE UUID: 30a4cc6c-7b5f-4a60-8e45-a3fca8819a5b
ORCID for N.C. Harvey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8194-2512
ORCID for C.R. Gale: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3361-8638
ORCID for E.M. Dennison: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3048-4961
ORCID for K.M. Godfrey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4643-0618
ORCID for C. Cooper: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709

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Date deposited: 05 Sep 2008
Last modified: 16 Aug 2024 01:39

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Contributors

Author: M.K. Javaid
Author: S.R. Crozier
Author: N.C. Harvey ORCID iD
Author: C.R. Gale ORCID iD
Author: E.M. Dennison ORCID iD
Author: B.J. Boucher
Author: N.K. Arden
Author: K.M. Godfrey ORCID iD
Author: C. Cooper ORCID iD

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