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A A E Vinkhuyzen et al. Gestational vitamin D deficiency and autism-related traits: the Generation R Study, Molecular Psychiatry (2016). DOI:[/PLAIN] 10.1038/mp.2016.213
Interesting new study that indicates vitamin D is required for normal neurological development. It has been known for a long time that vitamin D (somewhat more like a hormone than a true vitamin, as it is not a co-enzyme constituent) is important for bone health, for example. Now it seems that dietary vitamin D is required during pregnancy. Direct sun exposure which creates vitamin D precursors in human skin was not recommended by the authors, because of skin cancer concerns.
abstract:
For the US:
This might be explanatory for the differential distribution of autism rates among populations in the US. 3.8% fat milk in the US is the only commercially available milk with added vitamin D. Because of the somewhat misplaced guidance about fat consumption, higher SES* women have tended to avoid whole milk.
At the same time, they also inadvertently avoided getting extra vitamin D.
Other sources of vitamin D are salmon, tuna, beef liver, egg yolks. Again, eggs were on the no-eat list for cholesterol reasons. Which advice has been largely reverted. Beef liver consumption in the US is minuscule. Mostly ends up in pet foods.
This could help to explain why autism rates are higher in places where a lot of high SES women live. Silicon Valley is an example in the US. BTW there are good fatty acids in the diet, and they are required.
*SES Socioeconomic Status
[/IMO]
Interesting new study that indicates vitamin D is required for normal neurological development. It has been known for a long time that vitamin D (somewhat more like a hormone than a true vitamin, as it is not a co-enzyme constituent) is important for bone health, for example. Now it seems that dietary vitamin D is required during pregnancy. Direct sun exposure which creates vitamin D precursors in human skin was not recommended by the authors, because of skin cancer concerns.
abstract:
[IMO]There is intense interest in identifying modifiable risk factors associated with autism-spectrum disorders (ASD). Autism-related traits, which can be assessed in a continuous fashion, share risk factors with ASD, and thus can serve as informative phenotypes in population-based cohort studies. Based on the growing body of research linking gestational vitamin D deficiency with altered brain development, this common exposure is a candidate modifiable risk factor for ASD and autism-related traits. The association between gestational vitamin D deficiency and a continuous measure of autism-related traits at ~6 years (Social Responsiveness Scale; SRS) was determined in a large population-based cohort of mothers and their children (n=4229). 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was assessed from maternal mid-gestation sera and from neonatal sera (collected from cord blood). Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25OHD concentrations less than 25 nmol l−1. Compared with the 25OHD sufficient group (25OHD>50 nmol l−1), those who were 25OHD deficient had significantly higher (more abnormal) SRS scores (mid-gestation n=2866, β=0.06, P<0.001; cord blood n=1712, β=0.03, P=0.01). The findings persisted (a) when we restricted the models to offspring with European ancestry, (b) when we adjusted for sample structure using genetic data, (c) when 25OHD was entered as a continuous measure in the models and (d) when we corrected for the effect of season of blood sampling. Gestational vitamin D deficiency was associated with autism-related traits in a large population-based sample. Because gestational vitamin D deficiency is readily preventable with safe, cheap and accessible supplements, this candidate risk factor warrants closer scrutiny.
For the US:
This might be explanatory for the differential distribution of autism rates among populations in the US. 3.8% fat milk in the US is the only commercially available milk with added vitamin D. Because of the somewhat misplaced guidance about fat consumption, higher SES* women have tended to avoid whole milk.
At the same time, they also inadvertently avoided getting extra vitamin D.
Other sources of vitamin D are salmon, tuna, beef liver, egg yolks. Again, eggs were on the no-eat list for cholesterol reasons. Which advice has been largely reverted. Beef liver consumption in the US is minuscule. Mostly ends up in pet foods.
This could help to explain why autism rates are higher in places where a lot of high SES women live. Silicon Valley is an example in the US. BTW there are good fatty acids in the diet, and they are required.
*SES Socioeconomic Status
[/IMO]
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