Taking high-dose vitamin D during pregnancy can make children brainier

Taking higher doses of vitamin D during pregnancy may give children a memory boost that lasts into later childhood.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen analyzed data from nearly 500 children of mothers who participated in a clinical trial comparing standard and high-dose vitamin D supplements during pregnancy.

One group of mothers took the NHS recommended 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day, while another took a much higher dose of 70 micrograms of vitamin D.

The scientists then tested the memory of 10-year-old children.

The results showed that teenagers whose mothers received the higher dose performed slightly better on memory tests than children who received the standard dose.

Experts say the findings add to growing evidence that prenatal nutrition can affect brain development.

Professor Andrew Shennan, of King’s College London, said: “Given how cheap and safe vitamin D is at these doses, the findings, if real, could have a significant benefit to public health in the future.”

He added that the results matched previous animal studies, but cautioned against jumping to conclusions.

Professor Shennan said: “As this was an interim analysis and not previously identified, this may be a fluke.

“It will be important to validate this in other datasets before making recommendations.

“However, the benefit may be even greater in less nourished populations.

“These findings only emerged 10 years later, so this should encourage others to look at this with this time period in mind.”

Not all experts are convinced the findings prove a direct effect.

Lucía Iglesias Vázquez, a researcher in nutrition and public health, said: “This is a post-hoc analysis, meaning that this was not the original primary aim of the study and the observed effect sizes are modest.

“Overall, the study strengthens the hypothesis that prenatal nutrition may influence a child’s neurological development, but further studies are still needed.”

Professor Asma Khalil, a specialist at St George’s Hospital, University of London, also called for caution.

He said: “The findings are interesting and add to the growing evidence that vitamin D is important in pregnancy, but they do not mean that taking very high doses of vitamin D will make children ‘smarter’.

“Pregnant women should continue to follow current medical advice regarding Vitamin D supplementation.”

The NHS currently recommends that pregnant and breastfeeding women take a vitamin D supplement of 10 micrograms per day to support their healthy development.