Maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy and early childhood wheezing.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Maternal intake of vitamin D in pregnancy is a potentially modifiable but understudied risk factor for the development of asthma in children.

OBJECTIVE:
We investigated whether maternal vitamin D intake in pregnancy is associated with decreased risks of wheezing symptoms in young children.

DESIGN:
Subjects were from a birth cohort recruited in utero with the primary objective of identifying associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and asthma and allergies in children. A random sample of 2000 healthy pregnant women was recruited while attending antenatal clinics at the Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, Scotland, at approximately 12 wk gestation. Maternal vitamin D intake was ascertained from a food-frequency questionnaire completed at 32 wk of gestation. The main outcome measures were wheezing symptoms, spirometry, bronchodilator response, atopic sensitization, and exhaled nitric oxide at 5 y.

RESULTS:
Respiratory details through 5 y and maternal food-frequency-questionnaire data were available for 1212 children. In models adjusted for potential confounders, including the children's vitamin D intake, a comparison of the highest and lowest quintiles of maternal total vitamin D intake conferred lower risks for ever wheeze [odds ratio (OR):
0.48; 95%

CI:
0.25, 0.91], wheeze in the previous year (OR:
0.35; 95%

CI:
0.15, 0.83), and persistent wheeze (OR:
0.33; 95%

CI:
0.11, 0.98) in 5-y-old children. In addition, lower maternal total vitamin D intakes in pregnancy were also associated with decreased bronchodilator response (P = 0.04). No associations were observed between maternal vitamin D intakes and spirometry or exhaled nitric oxide concentrations.

CONCLUSION:
Increasing maternal vitamin D intakes during pregnancy may decrease the risk of wheeze symptoms in early childhood.

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Author information

Author/s: Devereux, Graham (G); Litonjua, Augusto A (AA); Turner, Stephen W (SW); Craig, Leone C A (LC); McNeill, Geraldine (G); Martindale, Sheelagh (S); Helms, Peter J (PJ); Seaton, Anthony (A); Weiss, Scott T (ST);

Affiliation: Department of Environmental, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The American journal of clinical nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Mar; vol 85 (issue 3) : pp 853-9

Dates: Created 2007/03/08; Completed 2007/04/26;

PMID: 17344509, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Child, Preschool
Diet
Female
Humans
Pregnancy - physiology

Pregnancy - physiology
Questionnaires
Respiratory Sounds - physiopathology
Spirometry
Vitamin D - metabolism

Associated Chemicals: Vitamin D (1406-16-2)

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