Vitamin D also affects the development of the baby’s brain
It plays an important role in brain health.
In recent years, a number of scientific evidence has accumulated that low levels of vitamin D may be related to various health problems.
An important topic of contemporary research is also the role of vitamin D to protect the mother’s health and proper fetal development. In addition to helping to prevent rickets and bone problems, its importance for mental health and the proper functioning of the brain is increasingly proved.
Australian scientists have recently come up with the claim that children who are already born with low vitamin D levels have a higher presumption of developing mental disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and attention disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD).
It results from ever the greatest study of its kindwhich analyzed samples from 70,000 people born in 1981 and 2005 in Denmark.
« We do not think that vitamin D in adulthood has something to do with these disorders. We are talking about low levels of vitamin D during early brain development, » talks about findings Professor John McGrath of the University of Queensland.
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The fetus does not have access to the sun
Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide recognized public health problem, despite the fact that it can be prevented. The best combination of three things – the main source is the sun stay, the diet rich in vitamin D (fatty fish, red meat, liver, egg yolks) and its regular use in the form of a nutritional supplement.
Although expert opinions differ slightly in what high dose we need daily (depending on age, health or lifestyle), they all agree that it is a key nutrient for health. It helps to maintain the strength of the bones, to function muscles and the immune system.
One of the reasons why medical institutions differ in opinions on the recommended amount of vitamin D is that they try to find a balance between the positive effect of solar radiation on its production and the risk of developing skin cancer.
Since the fetus, until it develops in the uterus, does not come into contact with sunlight, the vitamin D level that the baby has at birth in the body comes exclusively from the mother.
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A new Australian study suggests that optimal levels at an early age is important not only for building strong bones, but also for building a healthy brain.
However, McGrath emphasizes that mental health disorders are multifactorial and are not only related to vitamin D. Genetic and environmental factors, birth complications or childhood trauma also play the role in their occurrence.
However, other vitamin D deficiency is associated with other the amount of adverse health consequences For the fetus and newborn – for example, an increased risk of premature birth, abortion or low birth weight.
A serious risk also represents neonatal hypocalcaemialow blood calcium levels that can be dangerous if left untreated, because calcium is important for proper muscle, nerve and heart activity.
More Déčka, fewer disorders
A study that Australian researchers published in The Lancet Psychiatry magazine analyzed vitamin D levels due to blood drops kept on filter paper from neonatal screeening. It is a blood collection from the heel, which is made to babies between the third and fifth days of life.
Data from a random selection of the Danish population without mental disorders compared with people of people with autism, schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder and mental anorexia.
Recommended daily dose of vitamin D
Public Health Authority SR recommends:
- Infants (0 – 12 months): 10 μg (400 IU) daily
- Younger Children (1 – 10 years): 12 μg (600 IU) daily
- Older Children (11-18 years): 15 μg (600 UI)
- Adults (19-64 years): 15-17.5 μg (600 – 800 IU) daily
- Seniors (65 years and over): 15 μg (600 IU) daily
Findings suggest that if vitamin D is a real causal factor for the development of mental disorders, 15 percent of cases of schizophrenia, nine percent of ADHD cases and five percent of autism cases could be prevented if all participants had a vitamin D level higher than 21 pernomols per liter of blood.
The optimum birth level ranges from 75 to 125 nanomols per liter.
However, these estimates are based only on people living in Denmark. Therefore, the authors of the study may also point out in various areas of the world.
Their findings, however, promote the hypothesis that optimization of vitamin D levels in neonates could reduce the incidence of various neurotic disorders.
Most European Union countries recommend pregnant and breast -feeding women to use vitamin D. However, the recommended doses may vary depending on how they eat, how much time they spend in the sun and what approach to prevention they prefer health institutions in specific countries.
