The association between neonatal vitamin D status and risk of schizophrenia
Scientific Reports volume 8, Article number: 17692 (2018)
Link Between Newborns With Vitamin D Deficiency And Schizophrenia Confirmed Science Blog
- "According to John McGrath, schizophrenia is associated with many different risk factors, both genetic and environmental, but the new research suggests that neonatal vitamin D deficiency could possibly account for about 8 per cent of schizophrenia cases in Denmark."
- 2,000 IU of vitamin D reduced schizophrenia chance by 77 percent (male infants) - 2004
- Taking Vitamin D after birth reduced chance of schizophrenia 14 years before study on this page
- Suspect >77% reduction in those infants who had < 8 ng initially
- Schizophrenia associated with low vitamin D – review Dec 2014
- Schizophrenia has many associations with low vitamin D – review 2016
- Schizophrenia Prevention – Vitamin D is one possibility – Jan 2014
Overview Schizophrenia and Vitamin D contains the following summary
14 reasons to think that schizophrenia is associated with low vitamin D
1) 97% of patients with schizophrenia are vitamin D deficient
2) Schizophrenia varies with latitude (UVB) by 10X (controversy)
3) Schizophrenia is more common in those with dark skin (when away from the equator)
4) Schizophrenia is associated with low natal vitamin D
5) Schizophrenia has been increasing around the world when vitamin D has been decreasing (controversy)
6) Schizophrenia is associated with low birth rate, which is associated with low vitamin D
7) Schizophrenia is associated with Autism which is associated with low vitamin D
8) Schizophrenia Bulletin Editorial (Jan 2014) speculated that Vitamin D could be a major player
9) Schizophrenia 2X more likely if low vitamin D - meta-analysis
10) Schizophrenia increased 40 % for Spring births after Danes stopped vitamin D fortification
11) Schizophrenia is associated with season of birth
12) Schizophrenia is associated with poor Vitamin D Receptor genes
13) Schizophrenia risk is decreased if give Vitamin D after birth
14) Schizophrenia symptoms reduced when Vitamin D levels are restored
Note #11:Increase in Dane Schizophrenia after Vitamin D was stopped
Types of evidence that Vitamin D helps brain problems - 2014
Healthy pregnancies need lots of vitamin D has the following summary
Most were taking 2,000 to 7,000 IU daily for >50% of pregnancy
Click on hyperlinks for details
Problem | Vit. D Reduces | Evidence |
| 0. Chance of not conceiving | 3.4 times | Observe |
| 1. Miscarriage | 2.5 times | Observe |
| 2. Pre-eclampsia | 3.6 times | RCT |
| 3. Gestational Diabetes | 3 times | RCT |
| 4. Good 2nd trimester sleep quality | 3.5 times | Observe |
| 5. Premature birth | 2 times | RCT |
| 6. C-section - unplanned | 1.6 times | Observe |
| Stillbirth - OMEGA-3 | 4 times | RCT - Omega-3 |
| 7. Depression AFTER pregnancy | 1.4 times | RCT |
| 8. Small for Gestational Age | 1.6 times | meta-analysis |
| 9. Infant height, weight, head size within normal limits | RCT | |
| 10. Childhood Wheezing | 1.3 times | RCT |
| 11. Additional child is Autistic | 4 times | Intervention |
| 12.Young adult Multiple Sclerosis | 1.9 times | Observe |
| 13. Preeclampsia in young adult | 3.5 times | RCT |
| 14. Good motor skills @ age 3 | 1.4 times | Observe |
| 15. Childhood Mite allergy | 5 times | RCT |
| 16. Childhood Respiratory Tract visits | 2.5 times | RCT |
RCT = Randomized Controlled Trial
Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
Vitamin D levels below 20.4 nmol = 8 ng
Darryl W. Eyles, Maciej Trzaskowski, Anna A. E. Vinkhuyzen, Manuel Mattheisen, Sandra Meier, Helen Gooch, Victor Anggono, Xiaoying Cui, Men Chee Tan, Thomas H. J. Burne, Se Eun Jang, David Kvaskoff, David M. Hougaard, Bent Nørgaard-Pedersen, Arieh Cohen, Esben Agerbo, Carsten B. Pedersen, Anders D. Børglum, Ole Mors, Pankaj Sah, Naomi R. Wray, Preben B. Mortensen & John J. McGrath
Clues from the epidemiology of schizophrenia, such as the increased risk in those born in winter/spring, have led to the hypothesis that prenatal vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of later schizophrenia. We wish to explore this hypothesis in a large Danish case-control study (n = 2602). The concentration of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was assessed from neonatal dried blood samples. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated when examined for quintiles of 25OHD concentration. In addition, we examined statistical models that combined 25OHD concentration and the schizophrenia polygenic risk score (PRS) in a sample that combined the new sample with a previous study (total n = 3464; samples assayed and genotyped between 2008-2013).
Compared to the reference (fourth) quintile, those in the lowest quintile (<20.4 nmol/L) had a significantly increased risk of schizophrenia (IRR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.12–1.85). None of the other quintile comparisons were significantly different. There was no significant interaction between 25OHD and the PRS.
Neonatal vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increased risk for schizophrenia in later life.
These findings could have important public health implications related to the primary prevention of schizophrenia.