Pregnancies helped by Vitamin D in many ways – 27th meta-analysis

Created January 2019

Vitamin D status during pregnancy and offspring outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0373-x

Monica Tous, Marcela Villalobos, Lucia Iglesias, Sílvia Fernández-Barrés & Victoria Arija

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Background/objectives

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may influence adverse outcomes in offspring. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies was to assess the association between low prenatal concentrations of 25(OH)D (by using three different cut-off levels), preterm birth (PTB) and anthropometric and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring.

Subjects/methods

Studies reporting data on the association between maternal vitamin D concentrations and offspring outcomes identified through a systematic review of scientific literature published in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and the Cochrane Library databases up to April 2017.

Results

We included 54 eligible studies. Vitamin D-deficient mothers ( <30 nmol/L ) had offspring with *lower birthweight (MD −87.82 g; 95% CI −119.73, −55.91 g),

  • (smaller) head circumference (MD −0.19 cm; 95% CI −0.32, −0.06 cm) and a

  • higher risk of small for gestational age (SGA) infants and

  • PTB (OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.24, 2.03)

compared to mothers with concentrations ≥30 nmol/L.

Vitamin D insufficiency ( <50 nmol/L ) was associated with a

  • higher risk of SGA (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.08, 1.91 and

higher risk of PTB OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.08, 1.52

Concentrations of 25(OH)D ≥75 nmol/L were not found to be associated with birthweight, SGA or PTB.

Offspring of vitamin D-insufficient mothers had lower scores in

  • mental (MD −1.12 points; 95% CI −1.82, −0.42 cm) and

  • language developmental tests (MD −0.35 points; 95% CI −1.00, 0.31 cm).

Conclusion

Maternal vitamin D deficiency is associated with offspring adverse anthropometric outcomes and PTB; insufficiency with a higher risk of SGA, PTB and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Tags: Meta-analysis Pregnancy