Delayed scholastic achievement associated with low vitamin D levels – Aug 2012

Vitamin D status and scholastic achievement in middle age childhood.

J Egypt Soc Parasitol. 2012 Aug;42(2):349-58.
Nassar MF, Amin DA, Hamed AI, Nassar JF, Abou-Zeid AE, Attaby MA.
Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Non-classical effects of vitamin D are not surprising in that many tissues, including neurons, possess vitamin D receptors.
Thirty school aged children with delayed scholastic achievement and 15 normal ones were enrolled in the current study to identify the serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH) D] status in school aged children in relation to their scholastic achievement.

Besides estimation of serum 25(OH) D levels, neuro-developmental assessment was done using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Benton's Visual Retention Test (BVRT).

Serum 25(OH) D was significantly lower in children with delayed scholastic achievement.
Picture completion scores were significantly lower in children with deficient and inadequate serum 25(OH) D.

There were positive correlations between serum 25(OH) D level and values of WISC.
Regarding BVRT results, good memory was associated with adequate serum 25(OH) D.

In conclusion, serum 25(OH) D is deficient in children with delayed scholastic achievement causing affection of memory and learning process. Larger scale studies using learning assessment tools are thus recommended to further prove this point and search the impact of vitamin D supplementation on the school achievement in this age group.

PMID: 23214213

---

VitaminDWiki does not recall seeing association between delayed academic development and low vitamin D before.
Wonder if vitamin D might account for African-Americans ( and others with dark skins) perhaps having poor school grades.
Wonder if autism studies have noticed increased frequency with Darker skins.

See also VitaminDWiki

• UVB added in classroom reduced cavities, increased height, increased academics. etc
• More vitamin D during pregnancy made for higher mental scores at 14 months – Dec 2012
• Higher vitamin D in pregnancy resulted in 2X better infant psychomotor and mental scores – Sept 2012
• Childhood mental disorders vs levels of vitamin D – July 2013
• Autism treated by Vitamin D: Dr. Cannell - video June 2013 19 reasons to associate autism with low vitamin D
• Low vitamin D in pregnancy and 2X worse language skills later – Feb 2012
• Heavier Babies Do Better in School (perhaps more vitamin D) – Oct 2014