Vitamin D, the best autism combatant; study finds

Recent study has revealed that taking vitamin ‘D’ during pregnancy could avoid the chances of developing autism in babies.

Researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia, have discovered that feeding vitamin ‘D’ to mice in their first trimester of pregnancy helped significantly in preventing the offspring from developing autism.

Earlier it was found that lower vitamin D during pregnancy could be correlated with the increased size and unique shape observed in the brains of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

‘Our study used the most widely accepted developmental model of autism, in which affected mice behave abnormally and show deficits in social interaction, basic learning and stereotyped behaviors,’ Professor Darryl Eyles of UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute said.

‘We found that pregnant females treated with active vitamin D (a different form than in supplements) in the equivalent of the first trimester of pregnancy produced offspring that did not develop these deficits,’ the Australian based institute added.

But the active hormonal form can't be given to pregnant women because it could take a toll on the fetus’s growing skeleton, post-doctoral researcher Dr Wei Luan said.

"This new information will allow us to further investigate the ideal dose and timing of vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women," he added.

Different sources for obtaining vitamin D other than those active forms are naturally available most importantly from sunlight and other varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin D levels during pregnancy could be vital as it has been formerly associated to many various conditions including schizophrenia, reduced bone density and asthma.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017