Maternal early-pregnancy vitamin D status in relation to linear growth at the age of 5–6 years: results of the ABCD cohort

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2013-09, Vol.67 (9), p.972-977
• Main Authors: van Eijsden, M, Snijder, M B, Brouwer, I, Vrijkotte, T G M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/443/810; 692/700/1720; 692/700/2814; Age; Alfacalcidol; Biological and medical sciences; Body height; Calcifediol; Calciferol; Child; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Childrens health; Clinical Nutrition; Epidemiology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fetus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth; Health aspects; Human growth; Humans; Infants; Internal Medicine; Leg; Linear Models; Male; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional Status; original-article; Physiological aspects; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Public Health; Regression analysis; Seasons; Skeletal system; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - blood
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.106

Background/objectives: Low vitamin D status during pregnancy may be associated with infant skeletal growth. However, evidence on the longer-term effect is limited. This study aims to assess the association between maternal vitamin D status in early pregnancy and markers of linear growth (height, leg length and relative leg length) of the child at age 5–6 years. Subjects/methods: A subsample of data from the Amsterdam Born Children and Development (ABCD) study was used. Ethnic Dutch pregnant women and their children ( n= 1208) were included. Maternal serum vitamin D level was determined at first antenatal visit (median 13 weeks, interquartile range: 12–14). We investigated the association of maternal vitamin D, corrected for season, with height, leg length and relative leg length at age 5–6 years. Results: Linear regression analyses showed no significant association between maternal vitamin D levels (nmol/l) and height (cm) ( B =−0.006; P =0.205), leg length (cm) ( B =−0.002, P =0.540) or relative leg length (%) ( B =0.001; P =0.579). Adjustment for potential confounders (parental heights, maternal educational level, alcohol use during pregnancy, child sex, child age at measurement and child screen time) did not change these results. Conclusions: Maternal vitamin D level was not associated with early linear growth in children. Other factors, such as parental height, appear to be more important.