Children of vitamin D-deficient mothers have a greater chance of developing multiple sclerosis later in life. Less exposure to the sunshine nutrient during pregnancy is said to double a child's risk of MS.
In a study published on JAMA Neurology this week, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discovered that low levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) in pregnant women were linked to greater risk of MS in children.
Researchers investigated 193 individuals whose mothers participated in the Finnish Maternity Cohort, a nationwide biobank that has kept blood samples for future studies since 1983. The samples underwent serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) testing in order to identify the mother's vitamin D levels.
Results of the testing showed that children of mothers who had low vitamin D levels during pregnancy had a higher chance of developing MS when they get older compared to children of mothers who had sufficient vitamin D levels.
"While our results suggest that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy increases MS risk in the offspring, our study does not provide any information as to whether there is a dose-response effect with increasing levels of 25(OH)D sufficiency," Dr Kassandra Munger told The Telegraph. "Similar studies in populations with a wider distribution of 25(OH)D are needed."
Dr. Benjamin Greenberg, a neurologist at the University of Texas, shared to News Medical that abnormal myelinogenesis and autoimmunity are the top two theories that can explain the links between MS pathogenesis and vitamin D deficiency.
"Determining if autoimmune tendencies could be set into motion at the time of birth would have large implications for the field," Greenberg explained. "Of greater interest would be the notion that abnormal myelinogenesis would be a risk factor for MS by creating an opportunity for antigens to be presented to the immune systems of individuals predisposed to autoimmune disease."
According to Web MD, multiple sclerosis is a disease that impedes the normal functions of the brain, causing people to lose complete control of their muscles, vision and balance. People with MS are easily fatigued and have difficulty in remembering things.
