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Pediatrics

The relationship between maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D status in pregnancy and childhood adiposity and allergy: an observational study

International Journal of Obesity volume 41, pages 1755–1760 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Vitamin D insufficiency (defined as <75 nmol l−1) is widespread among pregnant women around the world and has been proposed to influence offspring outcomes in childhood and into adult life, including adiposity and allergy. Disorders, including asthma and eczema, are on the rise among children. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D status in pregnancy and offspring adiposity, asthma and eczema in childhood.

Subjects and methods:

Maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were analysed in serum samples collected at 15 weeks’ gestation from 1710 participants of the prospective Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints cohort study. The offspring of 1208 mothers were followed up at age 5–6 years. Data collected included height, weight, percentage body fat (PBF, measured by bioimpedance) and history of asthma and eczema. Multivariable analysis controlled for maternal body mass index (BMI), age and sex of the child and season of serum sampling.

Results:

Complete data were available for 922 mother–child pairs. Each 10 nmol l−1 increase in maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration at 15 weeks’ gestation was associated with a decrease in offspring PBF of 0.2% (95% confidence interval 0.04–0.36%, P=0.01) after adjustment for confounders but was not related to child BMI z-score. Maternal mean (±s.d.) 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was similar in children who did and did not have asthma (71.7±26.1 vs 73.3±27.1 nmol l−1, P=0.5), severe asthma (68.6±28.6 vs 73.3±26.8 nmol l−1, P=0.2) and eczema (71.9±27.0 vs 73.2±27.0 nmol l−1, P=0.5).

Conclusions:

The finding of a relationship between maternal vitamin D status and adiposity in childhood is important, particularly because vitamin D insufficiency in pregnancy is highly prevalent. The association between maternal vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy and adiposity in the offspring merits examination in randomised controlled trials.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the women and children who participated in the SCOPE Study and Children of SCOPE Study, Mrs Rennae Taylor, the project manager of SCOPE in Auckland and the Auckland SCOPE biobank from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Auckland and Dr M Beatrix Jones from the Massey University Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, New Zealand. KMG is supported by the National Institute for Health Research through the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre and by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013), projects Early Nutrition and ODIN under grant agreement numbers 289346 and 613977. The New Zealand SCOPE Study was funded by New Enterprise Research Fund, Foundation for Research Science and Technology; Health Research Council 04/198; and Evelyn Bond Fund, Auckland District Health Board Charitable Trust. The Children of SCOPE Study was funded by the Health Research Commission. Additional funding has been provided by GRAVIDA 33015.001. EAM and MMDT were supported by Cure Kids. LCK is the Director of the Science Foundation Ireland funded INFANT Research Centre (grant no. 12/RC/2272).

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Author notes

  1. The members of the Children of SCOPE Study Group are listed before References.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gravida, National Centre for Growth and Development and The Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    V T Boyle, E B Thorstensen, W Cutfield & P N Baker

  2. The Department of Paediatrics, Child & Youth Health, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    J M D Thompson & E A Mitchell

  3. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and South Auckland Clinical School, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    J M D Thompson & L M E McCowan

  4. MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK

    K M Godfrey

  5. Division of Women's Health, King's College London, London, UK

    L Poston

  6. Department of Nutrition, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    C R Wall

  7. The School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    R Murphy & T Kenealy

  8. The Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research (INFANT), University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    L C Kenny

  9. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    L C Kenny

  10. The College of Medicine, Biosciences and Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    P N Baker

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  1. V T Boyle
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the Children of SCOPE Study Group

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Correspondence to V T Boyle or P N Baker.

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Competing interests

KMG has received reimbursement for speaking at conferences sponsored by companies selling nutritional products and is part of an academic consortium that has received research funding from Abbot Nutrition, Nestec and Danone. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Members of the Children of SCOPE Study Group

The Children of SCOPE Study Group includes EA Mitchell, L McCowan, JMD Thompson, R Murphy, C Wall, AW Stewart, A Shelling, W Cutfield, L Poston and K Godfrey.

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Boyle, V., Thorstensen, E., Thompson, J. et al. The relationship between maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D status in pregnancy and childhood adiposity and allergy: an observational study. Int J Obes 41, 1755–1760 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.182

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